


Dipper Pines vs The World

by orphan_account



Category: Gravity Falls, Scott Pilgrim - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe- No portal, Coming Out, Family Bonding, Gravity Falls is in Canada, Human Form Bill Cipher, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Older Characters, Older!Dipper, Older!Mabel, Shipping happens much later, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-10-31 15:17:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 31,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10902000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Dipper's finally settling into life post brutal breakup with his band and his friends, but Mabel shows up on his doorstep and in his dreams with trouble right behind her. In hindsight, maybe the first mistake was not expecting the worst when she ran off with some magician to New York, because now he'd do anything to get her back.Dipper would love to figure out how Mabel managed to end up with this many Evil Exes, but he's definitely got bigger things to worry about. Not getting killed would be a great place to start.





	1. Dating a Highschooler

Wendy had her head propped up on her palm, her expression incredulous.

“Dipper Pines, are you DATING a HIGHSCHOOLER?”

Dipper cringed internally. It wasn’t as though he was trying to keep a secret, but he wasn’t exactly proud either.

“Um, no comment?” He kept his back to the table, reaching for the energy drinks he’d stashed in a high cabinet. He could feel the drummer’s eyes burning into the back of his head. Wendy was NOT happy.

“Is she hot?”

Dipper wasn’t sure if he was relieved or irritated by Nate cutting in. Next to nate, Lee snorted, adding,

“You’re only 22. Not bad.”

“Oh come on guys.” Wendy rolled her eyes. She went back to glaring at Dipper, who slid back into his seat at the table.

“What do you even- do?? Please tell me you’re not-”

“We almost held hands!” Dipper sounded cheerful. Any progress was good progress, he wasn’t going to let them get him down.

“What’s her name?” Lee asked, stealing dipper’s energy drink and opening it. Dipper frowned at him, but just got up to get another one. As an afterthought, he grabbed extras.

“Candy.”

“How’d you meet?” that one was Nate.

“On the bus. She dropped her stuff when she was arguing with her mom and I helped her pick it up.”

There was a pause, as though expecting him to continue. He didn’t.

“And...?” Wendy prompted.

“And we’re dating now.”

 

____

 

Dipper felt tired down to his bones by the time he got home. Tad was cooking in the kitchen, his usual blank smile a little more animated.

 

“Hey Tad.” Dipper shut the door, leaning against it with a heavy sigh.

“Hey Dipper,” Tad glanced up, “I heard you’re dating a high schooler.”

 

Dipper groaned, setting his head back against the door a little harder then was probably necessary.

 

“Who-?”

“Lee,” Tad shrugged, “Is the sleeping arrangement inappropriate..?” He almost sounded concerned, but it didn’t quite take.

Dipper shrugged.

“Not like we’ve got another bed.”

They’d been sharing the futon on the floor since they’d moved in together. It was practical, and Tad was pretty respectful of space. No issues.

 

Tad smirked, the smile brightening his features.

“Watch out, if I get a boyfriend it might not be so easy to settle.”

Dipper laughed, walking over and plopping himself into the chair on the counter.

“I wouldn’t begrudge you that, just some warning maybe before-?”

His phone rang. He checked the ID.

_Mabel Pines._

He answered, oddly unsuspecting.

_“DIPPER ARE YOU DATING A SIXTEEN YEAR OLD??”_

He couldn’t find it in himself to be surprised.

“She’s 17. Who-”

“ _Wendy.”_

He sighed. He needed less gossipy friends.

_“Dipper, are you okay?”_

Something in his chest shifted.

“Yes.”

_“Are you sure? I know it was hard on you, but-”_

“I know. But it’s been a year, it’s time to move on.” Out of the corner of his eye he saw Tad head to the bathroom with the kind of disguised hurry of someone trying to give him space.

_“Dipper...are you sure this is moving on?”_

“I’ll let you know when I do.” Something felt tired in his chest. On the edge of his mind something surfaced. He pushed it back again.

_“Okay...I love you.”_

“Love you too.”

The line went quiet. He frowned, rubbing his forehead. Mabel had hung up, but he had the very distinct feeling that there was something else she’d wanted to talk to him about. He mentally resolved to video call her as soon as he could, she wasn’t nearly as good at lying to him that way.

Tad had heard the sigh. He raised an eyebrow.

Dipper shrugged, putting the phone down.

“She’s lying to me about something.”

“Oh. I thought she called about- ah...”

“Candy.”

“Mm, yes. Her.”

“She did. Just felt like she had something else she wanted to say.”

Tad hummed as he slipped eggs onto the plate in front of dipper.

“Video call her. She’s worse at lying to you that way.”

Dipper gave the other man a thumbs up as he shoveled food into his face. Omelette for dinner had never been better. He’d been running on Red Bull and guitar.

As he went to bed that night he felt an odd sensation behind his eyelids. He squinted, trying to sleep. The blackness that was swallowing him felt too vivid, but he drifted into sleep anyway, the last thought of his mind Mabel, and the odd tone of her phone call.

_What did she want to tell me?_

___

 

The next morning Dipper woke up to a weird premonition in his chest. He hadn’t dreamed, or rather he’d dreamed of vivid darkness that seemed to be readying itself for something. It was downright creepy.

  
Tad was long gone to work, or whatever productive people did with their time. Dipper was still in the dark from the blackout curtains, but it couldn’t still be morning. He pulled on his glasses, trying to adjust to the dim, and looked at his phone. 2pm. Ah, fuck. Wendy was going to kill him.

 

The doorbell rang. He got up, pulling on his shorts and swearing to himself. He didn’t bother with a shirt- it was probably Wendy. His feet thumped on the hardwood floor as he swung the door open.

 

It was Wendy. It was also Candy. Wendy looked amused. Candy looked like a nuclear reaction had just gone off in her head. Ah, fuck.

 

They stared at each other a long time, the cold air rushing in past Dipper.

 

Wendy smirked wider.

 

“You’re late for practice.”

“I’m late for practice.”

“I met this cutie outside trying to surprise you.” Wendy poked Candy’s cheeks, her glasses practically fogged from the heat of her face.

Dipper stuck his hands in his pockets, slightly self conscious about the fact that his tattoos were on display, sleeves of arcane symbols from his Uncle Ford’s studies spiralling up his arms. Why hadn’t he put a shirt on? It was fucking cold.

“Consider me surprised.” He gave Candy a smile that he hoped looked sincere. The look Wendy gave him assured him that he’d failed.

“Give me a minute or two to get dressed. Do you wanna watch our practice today, Candy?”

Her face lit up.

“Y-Yeah!”

Wendy’s stormy expression eased a bit.

“We’ll just wait out here. Not like you’ve got your own room in there.”

Dipper snorted and shrugged, closing the door as Candy looked up at Wendy with confusion.

 

He pulled on some warmer clothes, a black sweater from Mabel and his great-uncle’s duster. He wondered, briefly, where the old man was after all these years. His grunkles had dropped off the grid around the time Mabel left for New York. It was kind of lonely in Canada by himself.

Nah. He had his old friends. No reason to be lonely.

He left his thoughts in the room behind him.

 

__

_“WE ARE SCAMPFIRE! A ONE- TWO- THREE-_

 

_I, can't be sure_

_But I think I heard you crawl through the door_

_You, didn't say a word_

_And I think you tried to go to bed but instead you went to the floor_

_You've been out drinking with the other boys again_

_Telling them we are only friends_

_Making out and making noise”_

 

The music was bad, but it had Candy looking like she was seeing stars. Dipper was playing his heart out, focusing on the words and the timing even as an old pain flared in his chest.

 

_Oh stop pretending_

_That this isn't really ending_

_And I will stop resenting you_

_When you stop resenting me_

 

Honestly Wendy was the best of all of them. Dipper was just trying to keep up. He could write, sure, and play- but he wasn’t good. Wendy, Lee, and Nate played like they’d been born to do it. He wasn’t sure he’d been born to do anything. He heard the next cue.

 

_I waited up late_

_Maybe a bit too late_

_Until you finally came in_

_Where do I end and where do you begin?_

 

They got through the song, panting and exhausted by the end of it.

“That was awesome!” Candy applauded enthusiastically.

Dipper smiled.

“Oh it’s just practice. Nothing special.”

Wendy gave him a vicious shove as she got up, getting a water bottle from the minifridge.

“Don’t get modest on us now, Pines. That was actually pretty alright.”

Dipper smiled.

“Now let’s do it again.”

His face fell, but Candy actually squealed.

 

He was exhausted again getting home. Was this just going to be his life now? He took off his glasses and crawled in next to Tad, falling asleep with his socks on as he pitched into the darkness.

 

_He was in the desert. The sun was burning down on him, and he could see pyramids in the distance. He crawled, still in his winter clothes. His white and blue hat blocked some of the sun, but it wasn’t much good._

_“Help- anyone-” It felt like he was choking on sand, like his skin was cracking in the heat. He saw a cloud in the distance, and as he focused on it it pulled past him. It was a man with golden hair and an eyepatch on a motorbike. Someone was clinging to his waist as he shot across the sand. He pivoted as he shot past dipper- calling out-_

“You’re not alone, pine tree! It’s just a dream!”

_The figure on the back of the bike turned to look at him as they shot away, and as their eyes met his widened._

_“Mabel?”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading the start of this! feel free to comment with thoughts and suggestions, I promise I'll reply!


	2. Do you know her?

Dipper had gone out to lunch with Tad and his friend Tyler. He spaced out, stuck in that dream he’d had. It had been awfully vivid. He kept thinking about the man with the eyepatch. His hair had looked like spun gold, especially against his dark skin. Why had he dreamed about Mabel riding off with him? He hadn’t met Mabel’s New York boyfriend, she’d just gone for vacation and hadn’t come home. Maybe he was trying to think of what he may have been like? 

 

“Hey Dipper,  you alright there?” He blinked. Tad was leaning in, concern coloring his features. 

“Oh. uh, yeah. Just...had a weird dream.” 

Tad made a noncommittal noise.

“Well I just wanted to ask if you wanted-”

“Yoink!” Tyler nabbed the last piece of sushi with his chopsticks.

“...Nevermind.” Tad frowned lightly. Tyler shrugged, cheeks filled with rice and salmon. Tad’s features relaxed, Tyler was just a little too cute to be mad at. Tad’s gaze shifted past Tyler and out the window.

 

“Looks like your moment’s arrived.”

“Huh?” Dipper looked out the window, only to see excited waving. Oh, yeah. Candy. 

“I was going to help her carry all the books she needs to get from the library,” He started to stand, “Thanks for lunch Tad.” 

“No problem Dipper.” Tad smiled, but then his face twisted ever so slightly. Dipper paused, waiting for a comment, but Tad’s features seemed to relax again, and he only said-

“Have a good time.” 

“Oh. Okay.”

 

__

 

“What are you thinking about?” Candy was peering up at him through her glasses, her eyes magnified through them. Dipper shrugged.

“Libraries remind me of grade school.” He was reminded a little too strongly of his Great Uncle Ford’s library, and briefly felt a sting in his chest, tightening his grip on the books.  He’d be so disappointed.

“Must seem like a long time ago.” Candy playfully bumped his shoulder, but Dipper grimaced, reminded again of how young she was.

“Yeah. Don’t wanna think about that-”

They turned the corner and he stopped so abruptly that Candy nearly pulled his arm hard enough to drop the books.

“What-” 

She followed his gaze.

A familiar shape was bent over the library desk. Long, wavy brown hair- a thick pink sweater and a matching headband-

_ Mabel?? No. She’s- She’s in New York. She can’t be here. _

He started forward, but as he opened his mouth to call her name hesitation closed his throat and he stopped again. She was too far away.  He couldn’t just yell at someone who might be his sister across a library- 

The woman, whoever she was, finished signing something and was out the door. He heard a motorcycle start up and it was gone, even as he tried to see out the glass walls.

“Did you know that girl?” Candy’s voice sounded pinched, but dipper was too shell shocked to notice.

“Uh- No? I don’t think so- she looked like-” He trailed off.  _ She looked just like my sister who abandoned me to move to New York for some guy I’ve never met.  _

Not a conversation he wanted to have. 

“-No. Guess not. Weird to be on a motorcycle in this cold, huh?” He shook himself and went to the desk, not noticing Candy’s hand tighten around his arm. 

 

__

 

Band practice was much worse than usual. He kept thinking about Mabel- he was certain now, he’d know his sister anywhere. Why hadn’t he called out to her? Why had he hesitated?

 

“Dipper are you okay? I’m pretty sure you only hit one note that song.” Wendy was scrutinizing him.

“Is your girlfriend distracting you?” Nate laughed.

Candy blushed.

“I’m sorry! I’ll be quieter.”

“No- I’ll- I’ll try it again.”

 

It didn’t go any better.

 

___

 

He was on a stage, off to the side playing guitar as a familiar blonde hugged the mike in front of him.

“ _ Keep up the pace- _

_ This was not the case _

_ I never loved you-” _

 

He wasn’t quite sure where he was, but this was his band- Pacifica the lead vocalist she’s always been meant to be. He was better in the background. But down the side of the crowd a motorbike went by- too slow and too quiet to be real. Mabel sat on the back, the same pink sweater and headband, her hair rushing in wind that wasn’t quite there. 

 

Dipper stopped.

 

“ _ I’m dreaming.” _

The man on the front of the bike laughed. He looked up at dipper as he passed by, freckles shining almost gold on dark skin. 

 

“ _ Good call.”  _

 

__

 

Dipper took his sweet time getting up in the morning. He knew he was getting dragged to something tonight, though he couldn’t for the life of him remember what, and he really didn’t care about being ready for it. Wendy was probably picking him up. He sighed, pulling on a red flannel shirt, jeans, and his well-worn pine tree hat. He was going to be comfortable. He looked longingly at Ford’s old duster, but pulled a heavy jacket off the wall when the doorbell rang. 

The hat had enough memories on its own.

 

They made their way to the party from the parking lot in relative silence. Dipper had been in an off mood since he’d seen Mabel, and Nate looked a little tense. Tambry was hosting this, and they were on the off stage of “on and off again.” Everyone had the feeling it was going to stick this time. 

 

They got into the party with no drama- which was a relief for all of 5 minutes before Dipper realized that he would have preferred watching Nate and Tambry fight over the boredom that was creeping in. He said something vague to Lee about the bathroom and wandered off- but as he headed to where he remembered Tambry’s bathroom he caught sight of a familiar face.

 

“Hey- Robbie!”

Robbie eyed him warily, looking up from his beer. Dipper moved to lean against the stair rail next to him.

“Some party huh?” He tried, lamely.

Robbie grimaced.

“Uh, yeah, you could say that. Whattya want, dork?” There was almost a friendliness in his usual insults. Robbie wasn’t any better with crowds and parties then Dipper was.

“This seems odd, but have you seen my sister around? Maybe with a...uuh...blonde guy? Dark skin? Motorbike?” He felt like an idiot, but maybe the man in his dream had been sparked by a photo Mabel showed him or something. He was pretty sure she’d never given him any information about her boyfriend, but...

“Oh, Bill? The guy with the eyepatch?”

Dipper’s heart clenched a little.

“Uh, yeah.”

That was definitely not the name of Mabel’s boyfriend.

“I think I heard he was coming tonight, actually. You know Tambry, she gets to know everyone. Not sure I’ve heard anything about Mabel though. Isn’t she in New York?”

“She was.” Dipper’s confidence was waning, but he was almost sure now- this guy had some connection to his sister acting dodgy. Bill. Hm. 

“Thanks Robbie, I’m gonna go look for him.” He headed off into the crowd, Robbie looking after him with a bewildered expression.

“Catch you on the rewind I guess. Dork.”

 


	3. This one guy...

Making his way through the crowd, he finally spotted the familiar figure leaning against a wall by the kitchen. His heart twitched in his chest. Bill was definitely the man on the motorcycle in his dream, and he was  _ beautiful.  _ Dipper clenched his jaw. ...he didn’t look to be Mabel’s type, more ‘hot gangster’ then ‘prince charming’, but why... Before he could closely consider his own actions he closed the gap and leaned against the wall next to him. 

 

“Uh, Hey. What’s up?” He cringed at the sound of his own voice, his confidence was waning more and more by the second. Why had he done this?

 

Bill glanced up from his drink. His eye was green and gold, set like a gem against dark eyelashes. Holy smokes. Was that a contact lense? Dipper’s throat was drying up. 

 

“Hey. Nothing much, You’re the first person to talk to me all evening.” He smirked. 

“Oh, uh. Are you new in town?”

Bill shrugged.

“Sort of.”

There was a long pause, although not a mutually uncomfortable one. Dipper got the sense that Bill was waiting for him to say something.

“Do you drive a yellow motorcycle?” He blurted. He regretted it instantly. 

Bill raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. Did you see it outside? Seat’s comfy enough for two.” Bill smirked and Dipper’s heart stopped. Oh god he thought he was- Was he flirting? Oh god.

“Uh, no. Thought I saw it in a dream.”  _ Great Dipper. Why did you say that. _

He could feel Bill’s eye on him, but he couldn’t make himself look up.

“Um, I’m just going to leave you alone forever now. Welcome to town. Bye!”

 

Bill watched him go, amused. “Good memory, kid.” He said to no one, and took a long drag of his drink before he headed towards the door, not missing Dipper’s badly disguised attempts to look subtle while staring after him. 

 

Dipper was holding onto the back of Wendy’s shirt as he peered around her to the door Bill had just disappeared into. She was looking at him quizzically. 

“Uh, dude-”

“He’s real.” Dipper was in shock. Was he having prophetic dreams? What could any of it mean?

“Uh, who..?” Wendy registered that she wasn’t going to get an answer. She decided to switch tactics.

“Hey Dipper, Lee and Nate were looking for you earlier.” She put a strong arm around his shoulder and steered him to the bar. 

“CapTAIN FUUUNTIMMESSS!” Lee greeted Dipper with a pat on the back nearly hard enough to bruise him. 

“We...uuh.” He paused, drunkenly stumbling to find the next words. He looked at Nate, who raised two fists in the air.

“DRINNKING CONNTEESST.” 

“YEEAAAH!” Lee mirrored him. Dipper tried to back away. 

“Oh- No-”

Wendy’s arm stopped him, still very firmly around his shoulder. She leaned in conspiratorially, and stage whispered:

“You can beat them easy, they’re half gone already.”

“I RESENT THAT WENDY.” Lee huffed.

Dipper was about to try making more excuses, but... _ You just talked to a guy because you thought you’d seen him with your sister in your dreams. It’s not like alcohol’s going to make you any stupider.  _

Plus, he cared a lot about maintaining that Captain Funtimes reputation. 

“I could beat you two even if you were sober! Bring it on!”

____

Wendy slipped away once she was sure he was settled into the bar, the contest well underway, and headed back to Robbie. 

“Hey man.”

She leaned against the wall next to him.

“Oh, uh. Hey Wendy. What’s up?” Robbie was trying to keep cool, but he looked uncomfortable. 

“Just wondering what Dipper was asking you about. He’s acting a little bit cray cray,” as an afterthought, she punched his shoulder lightly.

“you stopped coming to watch us practice, I was also wondering how you’ve been.”

Robbie shrugged, seeming a little more at ease.

“Dip was just asking about that blonde guy. Didn’t know much, but he sprinted off as soon as I mentioned that the guy was here.”

Wendy’s eyebrows pulled together.

“Who was he anyway? Don’t think I’ve seen him before.”

“Bill Cipher. He’s from New York apparently, but he’s working for Amazon or something up here. Dipper asked something about if I’ve seen the guy with his sister.”

Wendy frowned, mulling over the information.   
“Huh. That’s a weird name.”

Robbie shrugged.

“He’s a weird guy. It suits him. And I’ve been alright, by the way...uuh..been spending a lot of time with Tambry.” 

Wendy stiffened, but bit her lip and relaxed as she thought it over. They were adults. Lee and Tambry were over. Robbie and her were over. 

“...That sounds good man. You both should come next time we have a gig.”

Robbie had been tensed, waiting to see if she’d yell. He smiled, lamely.

“Yeah, I’d like t-”

Wendy’s phone rang, a death metal guitar riff cutting Robbie off. 

“Oh, sorry.” She made a face at him, and then answered. 

“He- Oh, uh. Hey-....Taaad? You okay there?” There was some loud noise from the other end of the line, and Wendy moved the phone away from her ear until it stopped.

“Yeah, you definitely broke that....mhm. Yeah you should quit while you’re ahead. I’m bringing Dipper home anyway so I’ll come get you.” She hung up and gave Robbie an apologetic look.

“Sorry, catch up later?”

“Sure.” He stuck his hands in his pockets, a look of practiced apathy on his face. Wendy gave him a thumbs up and headed back to the bar.

 

Dipper wasn’t at the bar. He was on the floor, giggling. His hair pooled around him, showing only the first star in his birthmark. Wendy noticed for the first time that he had gauges. Man, he really kept his hair shaggy. Lee and Nate were laughing, presumably at whatever had landed Dipper on the floor. 

“Okay, time to go.” She held out an arm to Dipper. He waved his arm around a bit before managing to get a grip on her forearm. Wendy had to brace herself to pull him up, and he nearly fell forward into her shoulder. 

“Easy there. We’re gonna get Tad.”

They strode out to the car, Wendy managing a quick wave to Tambry as they made it out. The night air was bitterly cold, and Wendy was almost grateful that she had to hold on to Dipper, even as she was fumbling for her keys.

“Heeey Wendy.”

“Yeah, Dip?”

“I think I saw Mabel. When I was out with Candy. No one else wears those sweaters. You know. Those sweaters.” He stopped, looking up at the sky as though it held the answers.

“Yeah, I know.” Wendy managed to unlock the car and get the back door open.

“But she’ss still supposeed to be in New york, wif-- Gid.”

“Gid?” Wendy was only half paying attention as she untangled his arm from her hair and guided him into the car.

“Gid. Shh. Accidentally said part of his name once. Washn’t supposed to. Or somethin.”

Wendy frowned, thinking about that as she finished getting Dipper settled and got into the front seat. Mabel had been really strange about the guy she’d run off with. It’s no wonder Dipper was paranoid.

“Gid doesn’t sound much like Bill.” She remarked, typing the address Tad had managed to send her into her phone. 

“Mm. Doesn’t. Stupid. Dreamed about him.” 

That caught Wendy’s attention, but she stayed casual as she started the car and drove off. 

“And about Mabel?”

“Ye.”

His voice trailed off, and they made the rest of the trip in silence. 

 

Tad was very happy to see them, and before long he and Dipper had struck up an odd conversation about dream imagery and science. Wendy half tuned it out, but started listening again when she heard Mabel’s name.

 

“...an’ I just wanted Mabel to be happy, but she’s just gone, and I didn’t know why. She wouln’ let me study with Ford when we were younger, then one year she’s jus’ gone. Transfers to New York for junior year.”

Tad hummed sympathetically, his head on Dipper’s shoulder.

Dipper was waving his hands as he talked as though he were conducting.

“An she won’ let me visit, cuz’ this kid doesn’ want her spendin’ time away from him. She doesn’t call as much. She keeps secrets. Then Ford an’ Stan are gone, investigatinn or somethin’.”

“Investigatin’ wha.” Tad was slurring much more than Dipper. 

“Ano..Anama...Differences. Y’know. Magnetic fields n’ strange lights n’ species mutation. Scin’ stuff, but weird.”

“Mmm.” Tad made another noise and, without preamble, fell asleep.

Dipper flopped his head back, too tall to sit comfortably. He was quiet for a while longer, until Wendy was pulling up the street.

“Heey Wendy.”

“Yeah?” She looked back over at Dipper, who was looking at her as though concentrating hard.

“Y-..Thanks. Thanks. You’re all the family I have.”

Wendy frowned a bit at that.

“You have Mabel.” 

Dipper rolled his shoulders in a drunken approximation of a shrug, but didn’t say anything else.

He managed to get himself inside while Wendy threw Tad over her shoulder in a fireman carry. She managed to get Dipper’s keys away from him.

“Dipper, I’m going to take these so I can lock your door, but don’t forget to take out your contacts.”

He gave her a wave that she had to assume meant he understood as he staggered towards the bathroom. She sighed, prying off Tad’s shoes before she got him onto the futon and tossed a blanket over him. Good enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand here's our mysterious stranger in the flesh! You're a terrible flirt Bill. Really.


	4. Not what she needs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little short but I'm posting the next one here in a minute, so stay tuned!

Dipper woke up to sunshine. Horrendous, horrendous sunshine. He blinked furiously, patting the floor next to him until he located his glasses.

“Morning.” Tad’s voice was back to its usual pleasant blandness. 

Dipper groaned. Noise hurt. Light hurt. He screwed his eyes shut.

A warm object was set on his lap, radiating through the blankets. He breathed in. Bacon. Eggs. 

He put his glasses on and opened his eyes. Yup. Tad was already coming back with a cup of water. He took it.

“Thanks Tad.” 

“Don’t mention it. It’s your turn to order necessities by the way, so maybe once you’ve eaten...”

“I got it.”

Dipper pulled out his phone, shuffling through Amazon with one hand while eating with the other. Toilet paper, the usual pantry box, laundry detergent.... He grimaced at the end total, but charged it to his card. He missed the summers working in his uncle’s lab. He needed a job, or they needed better gigs.

 

The doorbell rang. Huh. That couldn’t be-?

 

He shifted under the blanket, but Tad waved him down, going to open it himself. 

Candy stood in the doorway.

“Oh, Hey Tad. Is Dipper- Oh-” She looked alarmed, catching sight of him on the futon, raccoon-eyed and mussed.   
“Are you okay??”

Tad snorted. Dipper smiled sheepishly.

“I’m fine. Just.....have a headache.”

“From all the alcohol.”

“TAD.”

“Oh...does that mean we can’t hang out today?” Candy deflated.

“No, I can get up. Just let me finish breakfast...”

 

They took off out into the cold afternoon, Candy clinging to his elbow. She talked endlessly, about high school and yearbook and her friends relationships. Dipper nodded along and made affirmative noises. It was sinking into his head how far away from her he was. He remembered high school with Mabel, and the way she talked about her friends and the guys she was interested in. It made him a little queasy. They sounded alike.

“...So what are your parents doing?” 

“Hm?” He noticed the sun starting to drop in the sky. They’d been going around to stores and restaurants and he’d been on autopilot. The day passed in a blur.

“Oh they’re in Europe. Enjoying themselves I guess.” He really didn’t want to talk about this. Candy didn’t seem to notice his discomfort.   
“Don’t you ever see them?”

“No.” 

Candy tugged on his arm, and when he looked down she was looking up at him, lips pursed slightly.

“You know, Dipper...” he did know, but he really didn’t want to. She was looking at his lips in a way that he was finding he really didn’t like.    
“Hey I’m sorry Candy, but I have to go.” His stomach was starting to tie itself in knots.

“I’ll see you at practice tomorrow but I- I gotta- sorry, really need to go.” He forced himself to give her a hug and started walking away quickly. Dammit. Wendy’d been right. Mabel had been right. Was it- Dammit. He walked faster, driven by the insane hope that if he managed it he could just walk away from his problems. His phone made a noise and he grimaced, hoping to God it wasn’t Candy asking why he’d left. Well, better get that over with. He pulled out his phone, already rehearsing an apology.

 

It wasn’t Candy. It was an email. Huh.

 

_ Dear Dipper Pines, _

_ It has come to my attention that I will be challenging you soon to regain my honor in the face of rejection. I, Jeff Cardamom, will rout you in the name of the forest-  _

 

Dipper hummed and hit the delete button. Spam was getting weirder and weirder. That first name sounded kind of familiar, but it wasn’t as though it was  terribly uncommon. Would probably end with something about Nigerian princes.

 

He got home not much later, sweating in Ford’s old coat like he’d just run a marathon. He pulled it off, shedding layers as he came inside before practically throwing himself onto one of the stools by the counter. Tad looked up from his cooking to raise his eyebrows. 

 

Dipper put his forehead down on the counter. His phone made another noise. And then another. And then it went off like a nest of baby birds. He groaned. Tad’s phone beeped once, and he pulled it out, leaning back against the counter and brushing flour absently off his apron.

 

“You’ve got a gig on Wednesday.”

“Huh.”

Dipper pulled his phone out. Sure enough, there were a few texts from Lee and Wendy, and about 10 from Candy.

 

_ YOU’ve GOT A SHOOWW!! _

_ I’M GONNA BRING ALL MY FRIENDS _

_ I’M SO EXCITED _

_ I’ll have 2 sneak out tho _

 

The rest were more stream of consciousness ramblings about which exits to take from her house and which friends she’d invite that she’d told him stories about. Dipper put his forehead back on the counter. Tad put a plate next to his head before going back to the extras he was making. 

 

It took a while for the smell of tomato sauce and basil to rouse Dipper, but his stomach won the fight against lethargy and he sat up. 

 

Tad regarded him thoughtfully, absentmindedly stirring a bowl of cake batter.

“You don’t seem terribly happy when you come home from seeing her.” Tad’s tone was casual, but Dipper could hear an undertone of concern. 

“I’m-” He was trying to ready himself to lie, but Tad was looking at him with the same look Mabel always came him when he came in from the woods with injuries. He was waiting for a lie. He’d see it.

“-you’re right. I’m not.”

Tad frowned slightly, tilting his head. Dipper sighed.

“...I just don’t think I can be what she wants.”

“Are you sure it’s not the other way around?” Tad’s reply was immediate. 

Dipper frowned, looking down at his spaghetti as though it had the answer. 

 

“...I don’t know.”

He ate the rest of the meal in silence, broken only by Tad’s humming and the sounds he made around the kitchen. He was in bed first, falling asleep to the sound of the mixer as the darkness of his dreams swallowed him again. 

 

_ _______ _

 

_ He was wandering through the Mystery shack. _

_ The building was huge- the staircases and metal hallways of Ford’s lower levels mingling with the high wooden ceilings and glass cases of Stan’s tourist trap. There were no barriers, no divides where each twin had marked their territory. That wasn’t quite right. _

_ Dipper spun, trying to get a sense for where he was. The roof stretched up much higher above him then anywhere in the house actually did, and a triangle shaped window shone a spotlight down on nothing at particular. He went to stand in the light, looking up into it. The window was shining like spun gold.  _

_ Somewhere down one of the hallways, he heard a door open. He looked down, just in time to see a figure on a motorcycle cross an open space that looked like Ford’s old lab. _

_ Mabel? _

_ He ran down the hall, coming out in the lab- Mabel was on a yellow motorcycle, her long hair braided, wearing a dark blue sweater with stitched stars on it. She was heading towards the end of the hallway, which seemed to let out...Outside? But not outside of the mystery shack, outside of a familiar apartment building. His apartment building. She was raising a hand towards his door.  _

_ “Mabel-!”  _


	5. Come Closer

He woke himself up, scrambling up and pulling pants on as he stumbled for the door. He threw it open at the same second that the doorbell rang, and came face to face with his sister. They stared at each other for a long moment, and Dipper realized that she was holding several large boxes, and her hat had an Amazon logo on it. 

 

“Oh.”

“Uuuh, Hey bro bro!”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were in town? What were you doing in my dream? Who’s that guy you’ve been with? When did you start...working for amazon?”

Dipper’s eyelid was twitching, and he could feel a headache coming on. Mabel looked nervous.

“I’m- I’m sorry.” She looked down at the boxes, avoiding his eyes.

“I-...” Dipper didn’t have anything to say. He wanted to be furious, Mabel had disappeared on him without any explanation and was clearly keeping secrets. He knew something was going on with his dreams, but he didn’t know what. But Mabel looked so crushed, and so much older than the last time he’d seen her. He knew things had been worse in New York then she’d let on. He’d always suspected that she wouldn’t leave her family by choice.

“I forgive you. But Mabel, I really need answers.”

She sighed, and held out the boxes.

“...I promise I’ll tell you everything. But let me finish my shift?” She plastered on a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“I’ll come back tonight, I promise. And I’ll...try to give you the answers.”

“Okay.” Dipper bit his lip, taking the boxes and putting them on the floor. He turned back, and Mabel threw herself at him and wrapped him in one of her trademark rib-crunching hugs.

 

“Ow- hey- Okay. Pat pat.” He patted her back until she let go. Her grin was more genuine this time.

“I missed you dipdop. Say hi to everybody for me, I guess I can’t really hide that i’m in town from them when i’m delivering things everywhere...” She looked a little depressed at that. 

“Don’t know why you’d want to, but I assume it’ll make sense later. Head on out, alright? I’ll see you tonight. I’ll have Tad make you cinnamon rolls.” Dipper pushed down the urge to demand answers. Mabel probably needed the job. And in the meanwhile, he was letting the cold in. He waved another goodbye before he closed the door and started stocking the cabinets. He was going to need all the distraction he could get waiting for Mabel to come back. 

 

__

 

He was ready when the doorbell rang. Tad was in the kitchen, working on other food after finishing the cinnamon rolls. Dipper had felt bad about asking him to cook right after getting home from work, but he’d lit up when Dipper told him they were for Mabel. 

 

“That sister of yours has always been a wonderful woman, if she wants cinnamon rolls then she’ll get them.”

 

The kitchen was warm and smelled like soup and cinnamon, and Dipper was happy to see Mabel’s face light up as the scent blew into her face with the warm air. She hesitated, but Tad called from the kitchen-

“Come in and close the door! It’s supposed to snow tonight.”

Mabel ran up to the counter as soon as she saw the cinnamon rolls, leaving Dipper to lock the door behind her.

 

Dipper made sure to wait until she’d relaxed, face absolutely full of sugar and bread, before he sat down next to her at the counter. She looked the same as she had when she left- long hair, huge fluffy sweater, matching headband...He froze. There was a bruise poking out from the collar of her jacket. He forced himself to relax. Try to start with the easy questions. Mabel looked over at him and smiled sheepishly.

 

“Trying to stare a hole in my head, Dippinsauce?”

Dipper grimaced.

“Sorry...” He chose his words carefully.

“...It’s been a long time since I saw you outside of a computer screen.”

Mabel’s expression darkened to a look he’d rarely seen on her. The Mabel he remembered was always smiling. She looked...older. More tired. She’d lost weight, which definitely didn’t mean anything good, given the way sweets disappeared around her. She caught his eye and smiled again, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“It’s good to see you brobro.”

“It’s good to see you too but...”

He saw the hurt flash in her eyes and changed his mind about asking that question.

“...how did you get into my dreams?”

Mabel’s expression lightened, and Dipper tried to keep the relief from showing on his face. Safe topic. Good. He could satisfy that much curiosity at least.

“It’s called the mindscape. It’s not actually just your dreams, I can basically travel through...I guess it’s like the collective unconscious? Most parts of it don’t normally connect to each other, but with a little guidance I can find my way through.” Mabel looked thoughtful.

“They kind of work like shortcuts. Some people’s mindscapes, like yours, connect to kind of large areas and by accessing it I can go miles in under a minute.” 

Dipper’s head was spinning at the implications of that. 

“So you can....get into my head?”

“No, silly. Not really anyway. Not your conscious mind. Just some of the more unconscious bits of it. I can access dreams and most memories.”

Dipper suddenly remembered some notes on meditation from one of Ford’s journals. Something about accessing one’s own unconscious and seeing it in visual form. He’d used it to enhance his photographic memory. Dipper hadn’t really been able to get the meditation part down. There were spells to go into another person’s mind in the way that Mabel was describing, but according to Ford, that involved drawing a ritual circle around the person whose mind you needed to survey. And it was only to access a single person’s mind...

 

That was the next problem.

 

“How?”

 

Mabel looked uncomfortable again, but not quite as intensely as she had before. 

“I...was sort of accidentally given access to it. Um, my mindscape was sort of...opened? I guess? I was able to access it easily, and others from it without even really needing to learn the ways. But I got help after that.”

Mabel twiddled her thumbs. Tad walked over and put a mug of hot cocoa in front of her.

“Dinner’s done when you two want it. I’m going to take some to Tyler. Don’t wait up.” Tad winked.

Dipper made an expression somewhere between a smile and a grimace and got up to show his roommate out and lock the door behind him. Mabel took the temporary reprieve to take a long drink of her hot cocoa.

 

Mabel continued as soon as Dipper sat back down.

 

“There’s a...well, I guess technically he’s a demon?” She hurried on before Dipper could voice the concerns behind his panicked expression.

“He’s called Bill Cipher. The Mindscape is his realm. He’s a dream demon, but he does a lot more than that. He calls himself a lot of things and i’m not sure how many of them are true, but he’s powerful, and he’s got a vested interest in making sure the mindscape remains intact. Turns out whatever was done to me thinned out the boundary between the nightmare realm, and mindscape, and the physical world. Which is...bad.” Mabel grimaced.

“...How bad? But wait, what’s the nightmare realm?” Despite everything, Dipper had to admit that he was jealous. Mabel had managed to have the paranormal adventures he’d always dreamed of, even if.... He caught himself. She hadn’t asked for this. This was causing damage to her, and this had been done to hurt her. He had to admit that he didn’t want to be in her position. 

“The Nightmare realm is sort of a.... It’s like a crawlspace between dimensions. It’s not governed by any laws of physics or reality. It leaking would rip the world apart.” Mabel grimaced.

 

“Wait, that guy that you were with in my dreams...Bill. Bill’s a demon??” Dipper was getting mildly hysterical.

“How did he just show up at a party? Why did he just show up at a party? Oh god did-”  _ did a demon fucking flirt with me? _

Mabel’s phone went off, silencing Dipper’s hysteria. She glanced down at it and grimaced.

“You can ask him yourself.” She jumped off the stool.

“Where do you keep your tupperware? We can take some food with us, you’re probably going to want to spend a little time looking around...Oooh, can I take some gushers?! I haven’t had gushers in 4 years.” 

“Yeah help yourself...Are we going somewhere?”

“You wanna see the mindscape right? You can take all your nerd notes.” Mabel smiled halfheartedly, but it brightened to a real smile once she’d pulled out a few packs of gushers. 

“...Let me get my journal.” Dipper ran over to the cabinet and grabbed the leather bound book he’d gotten from Stan for christmas, and the pen he’d gotten from Ford. As an afterthought he pulled on Ford’s duster and one of the scarves Mabel had mailed him from New york. When he turned back around Mabel had put the food in a grocery bag, along with...the entire box of gushers. Well. Couldn’t begrudge her that. 

 

“Ready?” She asked, smiling a bit more brightly now.

“Ready.” Dipper offered her his arm, and she giggled as she took it. They walked outside, into the snow that Tad had predicted earlier. 

“Where’s your motorcycle?”

“Back at the entrance.” Mabel rocked on her heels as Dipper locked the door, grabbing his arm the moment he was finished and pulling him down the street. He kept up without too much trouble, after all these years he had managed to end up at least a little lankier then she was, but he was getting winded before long.

“Where-”

“Come on slow poke. I guess I’m the Alpha twin after all! Hasn’t even been a mile!”

Dipper scowled and walked faster, but he was having to fight his fatigue by the time Mabel stopped.

They were standing in front of a door marked “13” with a star below it. Odd, because the doors around it were in the hundreds... He remembered a journal entry about cursed doors. Was the number...?   
“Mabel-?”

She was already walking up to the door.

“Come on, dippin dots.”

Dipper certainly didn’t want to seem like a coward, even if logic was telling him that he should be wary. He followed her as she opened the door.

It opened out on pure darkness. Expectant, familiar darkness.

“What-”

“Cowabunga!” 

Mabel grabbed his hand and jumped. 


	6. Subspace

 

They fell for only about a minute, but the pure nothingness around them made Dipper feel as though they’d been falling for hours. He was trying very hard not to panic, and almost didn’t notice that they were falling slower than they had been when Mabel first jumped. He’d screwed his eyes shut, but a blue glow was starting to come through his eyelids. He opened them.

 

Mabel was wearing a blue pendant he hadn’t noticed before- It had started to glow and pulse, letting out waves of color into the darkness. Below them, the mindscape answered. Shapes began to form- towers rose to meet them, wrapped in vines with heavy yellow and red flowers. They landed on the top of one, and as Dipper watched with amazement a world formed- grass growing out of the darkness, midnight blue fading in to form a starry sky. As the stars came out the air warmed, and Dipper found that his breath wasn’t fogging in the air. It was cool, but not cold. 

 

“Where...” he found he knew the answer as he looked around. The entire landscape was so....Mabel. From the tower he could see fairies pollinating the flowers in other parts of the castle, and rainbows shimmering in the grass.

“It’s my mindscape,” She smiled, “This is the part my memories are stored in. It’s easier to stay put here. The dreamscape bit is less stable, even in a normal person.” Her face contorted slightly, and Dipper squeezed her hand.

“It’s pretty. A lot of glitter. I guess the goblin king’s castle’s gotta be somewhere around here-” He made an exaggerated spin, his hand on his forehead to look around. To his surprise, turning around actually did yield a view of what seemed to be the Labyrinth in the distance.

“Well I’ll be damned.”

Mabel snorted.

“You know me too well.”

Dipper bumped her with his shoulder.

“Maybe just well enough.” He looked out at the landscape again, taking in the forests in the distance. He noted with amusement that though there were a few horses grazing by the castle, there wasn’t a unicorn in sight. Mabel had gone looking for them after Ford had mentioned their existence, and came back hours later bruised and covered in unicorn hair and some rainbow substance Dipper suspected was blood. Ford had taken the opportunity to collect some samples, but Mabel hadn’t wanted to talk about it. The only reply he’d gotten was asking where the blood came from, to which Mabel replied “I punched her in the face.”

  
  


“Welcome home shooting star!”

Dipper jumped about a foot at the sound of the new voice behind him. Mabel didn’t even glance back.

“Bill, he startles easily. That’s not anything to be proud of.”

“Still fun!”

Dipper turned around and found himself much closer than he had expected to the man from the party. Bill was leaning into his face, grinning wolfishly. In the mindscape his golden hair was mixed with black and silver strands, and his eyes were fully gold with only the slightest trace of green. His pupils were vertical, and his freckles were literally gold on his mocha skin. Dipper was pretty sure they were glowing.

“Oh, h-hey.”

“Hey kid! You’re cute when you’re flustered.” Bill grinned. Mabel made a disapproving noise as Dipper turned fluorescent red. 

“Uh- Thank you?”

“You’re welcome.”

 

“Bill, if you’re done-”

“Right!” Bill grinned and stuck out his hand.

“Bill Cipher, dream demon, lord of nightmares, fourth dimensional being of pure energy.”

Dipper took it hesitantly.

“Dipper Pines, uh. Guitarist.”

“I know kid! I must say, I like the stuff you write! So much raw agony. You don’t play that well though.”

“...I know.” Dipper wasn’t quite sure how to feel about any of that sentence. 

“Anyway. Shooting Star wanted me to humor some of your petty mortal-” Mabel glared at him. “-answer some of your questions.”

“Right.” Dipper pulled out his journal, taking notes at the things he’d already noticed.

“So- You’re a dream demon. Are there other kinds of demons?”

“A few. Not all that many that have anything to do with your world though.”

Dipper paused, thinking that over.

“Not that many kinds of demons or not that many demons...?”

“Neither, really. It’s a big universe kid. Not that many of us are terribly fond of your corner of it.”

“Why are you?” 

Bill smiled, and for a moment Dipper was reminded of leaning too far over the edge of the lion pen at a summer day at the zoo. Mabel had grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back, but Bill’s smile brought back vividly that second before she had. The stomach twist of being far too close to something that could kill you very, very easily.

“Territory, mostly. I’m a dream creature. I need a place with beings advanced enough to have a well developed subconscious, and I don’t play well with others. And it helps that you humans are fascinating! All your desperation and pain and intensity in the face of your tiny life spans. You live so intensely, but you have so much potential for catastrophic mayhem.” Bill shrugged.

“This is my world now.”

For a second Dipper thought he saw a trace of something else in Bill’s manic exuberance. In those last words, the hint of something like...resignation? But it was gone in a moment. He leaned sideways across the edge of the castle, and Dipper saw a forest fire in the distance.

“Bill-!” Mabel looked more chagrined then upset. The fire took on nightmarish shapes of tortured faces, far too vivid for the distance they were away. Bill smiled innocently.

“It adds color!”

“Bllleeeeh. I’m taking my brother to the kitchen and we’re going to eat. If you kill the horses again I’m painting your motorbike pink.”

Bill pouted.

“You wouldn’t.”

“You remember after that nightmare-” 

“Okay you would the horses are fine. Yeesh kid, you can make more.”

Mabel grimaced.

“But the mental scarring never goes away! Come on dippin dots.”

Dipper followed his sister, more than a little confused about the entire conversation. She led him down the tower and into the main part of the castle, ducking through a low door into a small kitchen. 

She unloaded the bag and warmed the food on the stove, sitting down on a seat at a table that bore a striking resemblance to the one they’d sat at with their uncles all those summers ago. Dipper sat across from her, trying to think of something to say. Those years of near silence and avoided answers sat between them. All those calls had been filled with trivialities. Mabel had always seemed scared to say anything too personal. 

 

“I’m sorry.” Mabel’s voice was small.

“You don’t have to be. I think I understand.” There was so much that Dipper wanted to ask, but he didn’t wanna push his sibling away. He stood up and held out his arms.

“Awkward sibling hug?”

She grinned.

“Sincere sibling hug.” She got up and squeezed him so hard he heard something in his spine pop.

“OKAy okay.-” They chorused- “Pat pat.”

 

They spent a happy time reminiscing about their family and their time in college before Mabel had left. Dipper told stories he hadn’t before, and Mabel laughed so hard milk came out her nose. All too soon she looked at her phone.

 

“Oh shoot, it’s morning dipdop. You’d better be getting back.”

“It’s...what?”

“Time’s weird here. It’s like 9am out there.” 

Dipper gaped at her, and she grinned and got up, reaching into a high cabinet and pulling out a loaf of bread. 

“Give this to Tad as a thanks for the food. I’ll walk you back, since Bill and I have gotta get started on our route.”

She led him out through the courtyard- to his surprise, there was a garage door where a castle drawbridge or gate would have normally been. Bill was sitting on the grass, leaning on the door and fiddling with his phone. Dipper was in awe of how casually beautiful he was- looking for all the world like a model at a photoshoot. He glanced up and shot Dipper a knowing smile. Dipper flushed bright red, hoping desperately that demons couldn’t read minds. Fuck, they probably could. 

 

Dipper looked away, towards the two motorcycles parked by the gate. One was iridescent with a pink star painted on the back- the other was the familiar yellow. Dipper looked back at Mabel, raising an eyebrow. 

“Weren’t you using-...?”

“Everything using Bill’s power in the mindscape turns yellow.” Mabel glowered at him.

“Including a few sweaters for SOME reason-”

Bill grinned viciously.

“Side effects! Completely random side effects.” He hopped on his bike and gestured to Dipper.

“Hop on Pine Tree! Shooting Star’s got an earlier shift so I’m taking you home.” 

“Pine-” Dipper’s hand went to his head, touching empty air. He wasn’t wearing the hat. How-?

Mabel clapped him on the back and whispered conspiratorially-

“Hold on really tight.” she winked.

Dipper was still trying to formulate a response, but Mabel was already hopping on her bike, helmet on.

“Bye!” 

She smacked a button and roared off towards the door, barely ducking under it as it opened. Bill started the yellow bike and tossed Dipper a helmet. 

“Daylight’s burnin!”

Dipper pulled on the (yellow) helmet, wondering at which precise point in the last week he’d lost control of his life. As he climbed on behind the demon, he thought that it had to be when he’d talked to Bill at the party.

“Hey Bill-” 

“WHEE-” Bill started the engine and roared off through the door, speeding into traffic without so much as a glance behind them. Dipper yelped and threw his arms around the demon’s waist, clinging for dear life. 

 

Bill seemed to know where he was going, which was good since Dipper was too scared for his life to direct him. They were at the house in much shorter of a time then speed limits would have allowed for. Bill climbed off the bike first, offering Dipper a hand. Dipper took it with a grip hard enough to crack a normal person’s hand. Bill only smiled. He could practically taste Dipper’s panic. 

“I’lll see you around kid.”

“W-wait-” Dipper hadn’t quite let go of Bill’s hand.

“-Why did you come to that party?”

 

Bill smiled, and Dipper couldn’t help but notice that his canines were sharp, almost vampiric. 

“I wanted to meet that brother Shooting star is always going on about. Glad I did. You’re pretty cute!” He winked and let go of Dipper’s hand.

“-What?”

“See you at your show kid. We both will. Oh, and someone’s written you a letter. Bye!” Bill screeched off into traffic, leaving Dipper staring off behind him with the facial equivalent of a 404 error. Numbly, he reached into his mailbox. There was, indeed, a letter addressed to him.

 

_ Dear Mr. Pines, _

_ Once again, I am Jeff Cardamom. You did not respond to my email, but consider this fair warning- I will be taking you on Wednesday night, the 22nd, whether or not you are prepared is your business... _

 

Dipper dropped the letter. Feeling weary down to his bones he went inside.

Tad was waiting on the couch, reading a newspaper. Dipper tossed him the bread. Tad caught it with a look of childlike joy.

 

“You’re wonderful!”

“It’s from Mabel.”

“Well she’s won _ -fuuurrfulll _ .” He’d stuffed his face with bread. Dipper sat down at the kitchen counter, contemplating the ceiling. After a moment Tad had finished chewing.

“Who was that guy you pulled up with? He’s cute.” 

Dipper flushed.

“Uuh- just- some....someone Mabel’s staying with I guess.”

“Ooh. A hetero?”

“I don’t- uh- no? Maybe? Don’t think it’s like- I’m-” Dipper put his face in his palms.

Quietly, he tried-

“But I’m a hetero.” 

He could feel Tad’s stare and could practically picture the expression. Sympathy? Doubt? Dipper thought about Bill more, and was less sure. 

Tad made a long humming noise, muffled in such a way that Dipper was sure his mouth was full of bread.

“Well-” loud swallow.

“-You should break up with Candy, Dipper.” His voice was serious. Dipper looked up at him, grimacing.

“...I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Here's the beginnings of romance, at last. (AND heeeree comes the plot.) Next chapter will be the first fight! exposition time is officially over!


	7. Getting Complicated

Dipper arrived at their tuesday practice tired, but resigned. He nodded to Wendy as he came in.

“Is Candy-?”

“Yeah she’s in the bathroom.”

No sooner had Wendy finished saying that then Candy came flying down the hall, throwing herself at Dipper and locking her lips on his. His eyes widened, his look of panicked hysteria not missed by Wendy, but ignored by Candy as she pulled away to grab the coat he’d taken off as he entered.

“Hey! Do you like my hair?” She spun, showing off a short bob.

“Uh, yeah! It’s really pretty. I uh-” 

Candy looked up at him, eyes sparkling, and cut him off.

“I’m glad you like it! I wanted to look more your type, probably couldn’t get away with a tattoo. I’d love to get one of your name or something though, don’t you think that-”

“Heeey Cancan, sorry man, I gotta borrow Dipper. We need to get set up.” Wendy draped an arm over Dipper’s shoulders and pulled him away.

Wendy had a vice grip on his shoulder and pulled him all the way down the hall and closed the door behind them before she hissed-

“What the everloving fuck- When the he-” She looked up, prepared to be angry at Dipper, and saw his expression. He looked hollow. He was having trouble putting words to how he felt. Violated, almost? Wrong. Very wrong. But thinking that hurt, somehow, and there was almost a memory in his mind but he couldn’t quite reach it. He wondered, vaguely, if Bill could help him with that. 

Bill. God. This was...not working.

“Heeeey Man. I’m sorry. Come back to me Dipper-” Wendy was waving a hand in his face. Dipper realized he’d sort of sunk onto the ground. He’d gotten lost in his head for a moment there. That was...odd.

“...You’ve gotta break up with her man.”

“I know.”

Wendy grimaced.

“But like, soon. Before she assaults you or tattoos your name on her goddamn ass.”

“I KNOW.” Dipper put his face in his hands.

“..there’s just so much else to worry about right now without this and I just wish I could figure it out-” he mumbled. Wendy offered him an arm.

“Well let's play like our lives depend on it man, and when the show’s over you can talk to her. Alright?”

Dipper clenched his jaw and took her hand. 

“Alright.”

 

___

 

They practiced for almost the entire 24 hours until the show, sleeping for a brief period after Candy left and Wendy could be sure that Dipper would rest uninterrupted by unwanted physical contact. Wendy was trying very hard not to be outwardly aggressive towards Candy, but she knew Dipper well enough to know when he was uncomfortable, and if Candy really cared that much about him then she would have been able to figure it out. Candy kept barrelling into Dipper’s personal space and latching on. 

 

The show was at 7, they went on at 7.30. Wendy checked her watch. 6.30. Right on. Enough time to avoid distractions. Particularly small, female ones with a tendency towards groping. They walked in, and she found herself with her arms full of sweater and hair. Huh. Had Candy missed? Nope. That was brunette hair. A face lifted and-

“Mabel??” Wendy returned the hug, lifting Mabel into the air and spinning her. 

“MABEL!”

Mabel squealed at the sudden lift, shrieking with laughter. Wendy finally set Mabel down, but squeezed her through what felt like 10 layers of sweater.

“Oh my God Mabes!!! How are you!! I’m so glad you left that fucking shithead! I knew Dipper wouldn’t just imagine seeing you!” 

Dipper, standing behind Mabel, made throat cutting gestures. Mabel squeezed Wendy hard enough to crack her back.

“I’ve been really good, but I missed you guys! Couldn’t miss your show!” She released Wendy and took a few steps back, revealing the brand new sweater with her arms in the air. It was dark blue, with a campfire creature on it- a face in the flames and the logs forming spidery legs. In gold above it, bold and curling, was the word “SCAMPFIRE.”

“Oh my God Mabes make all of us one of those. That’s our new band thing. That’s amazing.”

“I KNOW.” Mabel clenched her hands into fists triumphantly. 

  
Wendy caught sight of Dipper behind Mabel, and her expression must have given something away, because Mabel turned around to the sight of a very uncomfortable Dipper trying to disentangle himself from Candy. He was practically flailing. A friend of Candy’s seemed to be taking photos with a polaroid camera behind them. 

 

“Hey Mabel-” he greeted her, still flushed. “-if you’re here, then where’s-?”

“Heeey pine tree!”

 

Wendy turned around, surprised to see Tad strolling in with a man she recognized vaguely as Bill Cipher. Oh boy.

 

Wendy turned back to Dipper, hoping to make sure Candy wasn’t latched onto him. No such luck. She sighed and turned back to Tad.

“Hey man, it’s been a bit. Who’s your friend?” She smiled at Bill. Probably better if she didn’t give away that she already knew his name and where he was from. That was probably not something she should have known. 

“Oh this is Bill! Actually I’ve just met him.” Tad was side-eyeing Bill in a way that made Wendy think he’d probably like to get to know the other man  _ much better.  _ Bill seemed more distracted looking over at Dipper, but he tuned back at the mention of his name.

“Ah, yeah. Bill Cipher!” he offered Wendy a hand, and she shook it, feeling a little awkward.

“I’m Wendy. Wendy Corduroy.”

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Who’s the leech?” He was looking at Candy. Wendy felt like she should have been more bothered by that, given that Tad made a spluttering noise like he’d choked on his own tongue, but it kind of felt good to have her hatred validated. 

 

“Candy Chiu. Dipper’s....urgh. Dipper’s girlfriend.” 

“Does she know that he’s gay?”

There was a long silence, and then Tad quietly excused himself with a mumbled excuse about the bathroom. Wendy could hear him laughing long after the door closed. 

 

Bill raised an eyebrow.

“Did I say something amusing...?”

“Uh...It’s just...” Wendy floundered.

“Um, what makes you think he’s gay?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dipper going backstage with the other guys. Good.

Mabel was making her way over to them.

Bill had made a noncommittal noise.   
“What does that matter?” 

“-uh. I’ve gotta get backstage.” She could see the first band taking the stage.   
“Nice to meet you Bill!” She dashed off.

______

  
  


Bill settled himself on the balcony with Mabel and a recovered Tad. He noted Candy glaring daggers up at them from the audience. He waved cheerfully at her, but she didn’t notice. She was focused on Mabel. He made a dissatisfied noise and turned his attention back to the mortal they’d met coming in. 

 

Tad, for his part, was bitterly jealous. Dipper wasn’t even sure he was gay! Why did he get a hot guy?? How?? Why??

 

Bill cleared his throat. Tad looked up. 

“Is there something worth nothing about Pine tree’s homose-” 

  
Mabel snorted.

 

“Bill, Dipper doesn’t know.”

 

“He wha-” 

  
The lights dimmed. A band took the stage.

  
“We are Crash and the boys!”

“One of those humans is clearly a girl.” mused Bill, at a normal speaking volume over the quieted crowd. 

“SHE’S ONE OF THE BOYS. THIS SONG IS CALLED I AM VERY SAD. 1-2-3-”

They played. They stopped.

“What was that, exactly?” Bill called down, leaning on the railing.

“THIS ONE’S FOR THAT GUY. IT’S CALLED WE HATE YOU, SHUT UP.”

“Countless operas have been conducted in my honor, they’re not special” Bill remarked as the band started up again. Mabel was crying with laughter. 

__

 

Backstage, Wendy was still angry. Her foot was tapping compulsively, and the air was too quiet. The band outside was awful. She leaned towards the door, listening for the last song announcement.

 

“THIS ONE IS CALLED LAST SONG KILLS THE AUDIENCE.”

 

“That’s....odd.”

“Oh it’s fine.” Lee didn’t look up from his phone, continuing-

“Just knocks everyone unconscious for about 20 minutes.”   
“WHAT.” 

Dipper groaned, pulling out his phone.

“I’ll warn Mabel and Tad to go to the bathroom for a bit.”

 

“Hey Dipper, did you notice Candy glaring at your sister? Awwkwaard.” Nate grinned good naturedly.

 

Dipper looked up, a bit frazzled.

“She was-?”

 

“-WAit. Unconscious for 20 minutes?” Wendy cut back in, frantic. 

“Uh, yeah? Not that impressive...”

“WE HAVE TO PERFORM NEXT.”

 

“Oh.”

 

___

 

Tad and Bill were waiting it out in the bathroom, Bill painstakingly applying gold sparkling eyeshadow to just about everywhere on his face in streaks and lines that only he could make sense of.

 

“Soo...  you and Dipper?” Tad smiled, though he was a little unnerved.

Bill shrugged, putting on eyeliner the way Mabel had showed him. He wasn’t sure what the meatsack was implying.

 

“He’s got a pretty little head on his shoulders.”

“...ah. Oh, the sound’s stopped. Guess it’s safe.” Tad was a little relieved. 

They went out to find the audience sprawled across the ground, and Scampfire coming out past the other band to play despite the lack of an audience. Bill leaned across the railing.

“GO PINE TREE!”

Dipper waved awkwardly. Mabel snorted as she rejoined them. 

“Kind of a mean thing to do.”

Tad snorted.

“Clever I suppose?”

 

Wendy yelled out, positioned at the drums.

“WE ARE SCAMPFIRE! 1- 2- 3-”

 

The ceiling smashed open. A bunch of red torpedo-shaped objects shot through it, and Dipper found himself....covered in gnomes?

 

Their leader had managed to get him square in the chest, knocking him over. He pointed a tiny, angry finger into Dipper’s face.

“DIPPER PINES! It is I, Jeff Cardamom! Your doom!”

Dipper open hand swatted him, sending him flying off towards one of the walls. He stood, punting another gnome trying to chew on his ankle so hard that it flew up over the balcony. Bill caught it, holding it up in the air and smiling at it. It screamed. 

 

“Who- wait, are you that guy who kidnapped my sister when we were 12??”

“NO!..YES..POSSIBLY. DIE!”

Jeff launched himself at Dipper again, and Dipper roundhouse kicked him into the wall. 

“What are you even doing here? You’re not supposed to be able to leave Gravity Falls.”

Behind him he noticed Wendy punt another gnome above the heads of the sleeping audience.

 

“Gideon has ways of dealing with that little limitation! I am the first of the league to come after you, but I won’t be the last!”

“What league?”

“The league of Mabel’s Evil Exes! We will destroy you, Dipper Pines! I’ve got more up my sleeve then I did the last time we met!” Jeff jumped towards an assembling crowd of other gnomes, and they began to grow and change- forming a giant super gnome. 

“...uh...”

“Pine tree!” He heard Bill yell.

“Not that this isn’t fun to watch, but you’d better wrap it up soon before people wake up!”

“HOW?” Dipper took a few steps back.

“Sound!” Mabel yelled. “They’re sensitive to Dog whistles so I think loud noises will bother them!” 

Dog whistles... Dipper had a terrible idea.

“Nate! Wendy! Play something!” 

They looked at him like he was nuts, but Nate began to play the song they had actually wanted to play. Dipper turned the volume up on his microphone and ran to the speakers, avoiding the swing that the gnome-mass had taken. He made it up to the speakers and jammed the microphone into against them.

 

It gave an unholy screech and magnified itself, sending Mabel and Tad to the floor to cover their ears. The Gnome-mass staggered and began to fall apart, individuals taking off in all direction in an apparent panic. Jeff fell from the top as the it gave way beneath him, and shattered into dust as he struck the ground. Where he’d fallen there was a small pile of change. Dipper dropped the mike.

 

“Right. I’m going to go home now.”

 

He jumped off the stage, scooping the change up off the ground. He was still crouched, counting it, when Mabel reached him. 

“Brobro! I’m so glad you’re okay!” She dropped next to him and hugged him tight. He snorted.

“Come on, let me get up. I’m fine, you know we’ve dealt with worse-..”

“Still, good thinking Kid.” Bill was offering Dipper his hand, and Dipper found his eyes wandering up the demon’s body on his way to make eye contact, hoping Bill didn’t notice.

When he met Bill’s eye, he was smirking. He’d noticed.

“You could take a picture- as that human expression goes- but I’m not sure I’d show up on film.”

Dipper flushed and took his hand.   
“Don’t- need one. Thanks.” He turned back to Mabel to help her up, releasing Bill’s hand as fast as he could.

  
“Mabes- why did that gnome know Gideon?” 

Mabel’s head started glowing in a halo around her skull.

“Uh- Mabel-”

Bill wrapped an arm around Dipper’s waist. 

“We should go. Like now. Come on.” 

He guided him away, Mabel behind- quiet, and breathing slow as the glow around her head dimmed painstakingly slowly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *whispers* raise your sails. The ship is rising. 
> 
> And here we have- THE PLOT!


	8. Memory

Dipper remembered meeting Pacifica Northwest, vividly. He remembered her family ghost problem and the party and the way she’d hugged him afterwards and then paid him to forget it happened.

 

The years seemed to pass by quickly- getting more comfortable with each other, interacting, her putting on a pair of boots one summer morning and holding his hand as they went into the woods together. She’d changed so much, had been willing to show up at his door in overalls and real shoes. It had just felt like dating was something that they should do- they got along. The family liked her. Her family could stand him, since he’d helped them out with a few more supernatural issues over the years. 

 

They’d gone to college together, with Wendy and the others a year ahead of them to recommend the school. The band had actually been Pacifica’s idea, learning to play guitar- although she knew piano already. He’d gotten her a keyboard for her 19th birthday. She’d cried and kissed him in front of everyone.

 

His memory got bad after that. Bits and pieces spiralled together. College. Playing with the band, with Wendy. Had Pacifica gotten jealous of Wendy? He remembered a fight- something about having accidentally walked in on Wendy changing. He remembered Pacifica screaming at him, but he didn’t remember the words. He was on the floor, she was yelling- she was- she was crying. Paz never cried. It was all muted.

 

A warm hand fell on his shoulder. He tilted his head back to see a familiar gold eye looking down into his.

 

“You should wake up Pine Tree, it’s not safe for you here.”

“...What do you mean?” 

“You’re dreaming, kid.”

“I know...but you said it wasn’t safe?”

“This segment of your mindscape is really fragmented, I don’t know why. Don’t wanna risk you falling out of your dream and wandering off somewhere.”

“That would be bad?”

“You don’t wanna get permanently lost in your own mind, Kid. It’s not pretty. Wake up.”

Dipper felt the tug of reality, but he leaned back against Bill’s legs.   
“I think I’ve forgotten something important.”

“You know what kid? I think I agree with you.” Bill kissed his forehead, and the dreamscape disappeared into bright light. 

 

Bill watched the boy go with a small smile, but it soon disappeared as he surveyed the mess around him. The damage wasn’t nearly as bad as Mabel’s mindscape- that thing had been vivisected- but this particular memory looked like bits of it had been yanked out with all the finesse of a kid ripping the caption off a photo in a magazine. The words were gone- that was certain- but bits of the image were gone too, and the whole thing blipped and shook like a bad camera. Bill inhaled deeply. There was the faintest smell of alcohol remaining in the memory. Probably hadn’t been all that stable to begin with. 

 

But what did Gideon want with this memory?

 

Obviously he thought the kid was coming between him and Star, but this memory wasn’t even of her. It was a pale, prissy looking blonde. She was screaming and crying, pounding her hands against an invisible wall in front of Bill as he floated over one of the patches of missing landscape. He froze the image with a swipe of his hand and floated in close.

 

Hmm. Dark blue eyes, blonde bangs, diamond earrings. She looked familiar. Bill flipped himself upside-down, squinting. Faces flicked across memory, images in his eyes. They settled, one in each.

  
Preston and Priscilla Northwest. Ah.

 

Bill floated, rotating arbitrarily in the air as he thought about it. He’d seen her in Mabel’s memories, but not like this. 

 

In Mabel’s memories she was always smiling. Bill grimaced. He was starting to hate the stupid albino manbaby. His reasons were beyond Bill’s understanding- so petty and mortal. Bill understood anger, sure. Rage. But he didn’t understand hatred by association. Those he hated had wronged him. What had Pine tree or this girl done to him? Destroying this memory must serve SOME purpose. Bill dove through one of the gaps, looking for scraps left behind by the tear. He was curious now. He had a mystery to solve, and maybe he’d even manage to bring Pine Tree some relief. 

Not that he cared or anything.

___

 

Tad had very politely kicked Dipper out of the house and told him to come home when he’d broken up with Candy. Apparently he and Wendy had a long conversation after Dipper left with Bill and Mabel. They’d tagged teamed him in the morning- Wendy had called and gotten him to talk about it and gotten him to rant and admit to all of his discomfort and how he really didn’t want to be with her.

  
And then Tad had said something along the lines of ‘wonderful. Now go end it.’

 

He put his hands in his pockets and walked, thinking. He studied the lines and glyphs of his tattoo as he thought. Probably should have been more sure about what some of those were, or did, before he had them done- but he was a stupid kid. Ford had been furious.

 

Maybe he should ask Bill.

 

He thought of the lips on his forehead in his dream and flushed furiously. Must have just been a spell. It certainly wasn’t a kiss. Certainly wasn’t a sign of affection. Best not to think about it, especially not about how nice it had felt and the brush of blonde hair on his nose-

 

His phone rang. He answered it.

 

_ “Hey!” _

His stomach lurched.

“Uh, hey Candy. I actually needed to talk to you-”

_ “Oh that’s convenient. What are you wearing?” _

“...Huh?”

No answer was forthcoming. Candy only giggled. Dipper bit his lip.

“Um, Cargo pants? Baseball tee?” He was dressed for the weather, it was finally beginning to feel like spring. His chest was twisting with discomfort.

“ _ Blue trucker hat with a pine tree on it?” _

Dipper stopped.

“Uh- that’s-” 

“Boo!” 

Candy jumped out of the storefront in front of him and threw her arms around his waist, though he managed to dodge the kiss.

“Hey handsome! What are you doing out? Usually you’re at home. Oooh if Tad’s not cooking do you want to come meet my parents?”

“Uh- Aren’t I too old for you?..and aren’t you not allowed to date outside of...”

“It doesn’t matter! I love you!”

 

Dipper’s world came to a crashing stop. He felt like he was going to pass out. He backed up.

 

“Candy i’m sorry, you’re a nice girl and I hope you find what you’re looking for but it’s not me, and I don’t want to be with you. I’m sorry.” 

He looked up at her, at her shell shocked expression. Then in the back of her eyes there was another look- something like anger, and Dipper’s instincts started screaming.

“I- I have to go-”

“Wait, you can’t leave-” 

Dipper was backing up fast. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a door marked by the number 13 and a golden triangle. He shoved it open and dove in. 

 

He realized immediately that this had been a REALLY bad idea.

 

He was plunging into darkness, remembering too late that Mabel had some kind of pendant to guide her. This was...not good. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down. In the darkness, something began to glow.

  
It wasn’t the blue of Mabel’s pendant- it was gold, the color of Bill’s eye. He looked down. One of the tattoos on his arm was glowing- a circle filled with half familiar symbols, a triangle with a single eye in the center. Warmth spread from it through him, he felt his fingers tingle like they’d been asleep. He closed his eyes.

 

Warm hands caught him around the waist and he didn’t so much land as was set down, light and on his feet like a cat. He opened his eyes, startled, to meet the vaguely bemused expression of one Bill Cipher. 

 

“Didn’t I tell you just this morning about not getting lost in the mindscape?”

“...yes.” Dipper flushed. He really didn’t have a good excuse for that.

“Mm. Frankly I’m surprised you even managed to get in here. You’re supposed to need a key.”

“Uuh...like...?” Dipper held up his arm, flipping it to show the tattoo on the inside of his wrist.

Bill stared at it for a full minute, long enough to make Dipper very uncomfortable.

 

Then he began to laugh. 

He laughed like he was drunk and watching his favorite comedian, like a hysteric whose will had finally been broken, like he’d just been told the world’s greatest joke at an inappropriate moment. He seemed both more human and infinitely less. His laugh was manic, but his expression was so sincere that it made Dipper’s stomach flip.

“-What...?”

A door opened a few meters away, and Mabel was leaning against the frame.

“Dipper? What-” Her eyebrows pulled together.

“What did you SAY?”

“I just showed him one of the tattoos I got out of Ford’s journal?” Dipper held up his wrist with the still glowing sigil. Mabel snorted, then also began to laugh.

She was practically crying by the time Bill managed to calm down. 

“Oh god kid, that’s beautiful. Sorry. Let’s go back to Star’s castle and I can...clarify what you’ve done to yourself.” he snorted again. Mabel fell over with a new fit of hysterics.

  
Dipper was actually kind of surprised that he wasn’t really annoyed about any of this. Usually if his sister and someone else were having a laugh at his expense he’d be livid but this...didn’t really feel the same. He got the sense that he’d had this coming, and he’d be laughing at Mabel if there positions were reversed.

  
Well, best to figure out what exactly he’d done to himself.

 

He followed Bill through the doorway, stepping over Mabel prone and giggling on the ground. 

 

They entered into the side of the courtyard, and Bill sat down on the grass. Dipper settled himself near him, crossing his legs. Bill smiled, and Dipper couldn’t help but notice the tiny crinkles at the corner of his eye when he did. 

 

“Alright kid, so where did you find that symbol?”

“Great uncle Ford’s old journals. There was a section about...” Dipper trailed off, realizing what he’d done. The section about  _ Dreams. The section about creatures that ruled the world of dreams. Specifically, one creature. A creature who’d offered him a deal that he had declined. A creature whose name- though scratched out- had ended with Cipher. _

 

Dipper groaned.

 

“What have I done?”

“Less than you would think.” Bill smiled.

“That’s my summoning circle, it’s not a binding mark or the mark from a deal. It’s just a...a tracker if you will. One that goes both ways. You can find me, I can find you, you can enter my doors.”

Dipper mulled that over.

“That doesn’t actually sound bad?”

“It’s not. Part of what’s so amusing is the fact that star has one of those, in the same spot, that I gave her when we came to our...arrangement.”

Dipper wanted to ask about what that pause was about, what exactly that meant, but Mabel had finally made it off the ground and plopped down next to him. She pulled down her sleeve and held her arm out next to his.   
“Twinsies!” 

The marks matched almost perfectly. Dipper remembered, with a feeling of vague embarrassment, how careful he’d been about matching the size in the book. Mabel’s mark, like his, was glowing a faint gold in the dreamscape. 

“...huh.”

“Oh, and I guess it does kind of bind you to the mindscape a little bit. Opens up your head. Explains why it was so easy to travel through yours before we started talking to you, actually.” 

Dipper grimaced. Yeah. that explained a lot. 

“...Anyway kid, what were you doing flinging yourself into the void?”

“-he what??” Mabel looked over at Dipper, a frantic expression on her face. Dipper cringed.

“UUh. I may have...broken up with someone and needed a getaway.”

“Oh. Been there brobro.” Mabel flopped over backwards onto the grass.

Dipper eyed her, hoping she didn’t mean it literally.

 

...a bunch of gnomes had just tried to kill him over her. She probably meant it literally. He glanced back at Bill. 

 

Bill was looking at him with an intensity that was a little uncomfortable, like he was looking at the cell structure of his bones rather than his features. Dipper grimaced.

 

“I know it was stupid, I just saw the triangle. She looked like she was starting to get angry with me.”

“What would she have to be angry with you about?” Bill raised a perfect eyebrow.

“I broke her heart.”

“Not truly. She did the breaking herself chasing after you.”

That was...an odd thing to say. Dipper looked hard at Bill, trying to detect sarcasm or any lack of sincerity. He didn’t find it. Bill smiled, one of his too-wide grins.

 

“I understand little of your human affairs, but I do understand obsession. Lust. Possession. Those who hold too tight either break the ones in their hands, or have them slip out. She would have lost. It was only a matter of how much damage was done before she did.” Bill’s words echoed, oddly, the way Dipper had always imagined an oracle would sound. His eyes flashed with some dangerous light, but it was gone again in moments. He stood, offering a hand.

 

“If you fear for your safety then let me accompany you home. I have something rather interesting to show you on the way.”


	9. Out of My Life

They went back out the door they’d come in, into the darkness, Mabel waving an enthusiastic goodbye after them. Bill offered Dipper his arm and Dipper took it without protest. Pride mattered a lot less than not dying. 

 

Even if he could hear Mabel snickering behind him. 

 

After the door had begun to disappear in the distance behind them, shapes began to fade in out of the darkness. Doors- some from their childhood home in piedmont, some from the mystery shack, a few glass classroom doors and dorm rooms marked with old brass numbers. The walls began to fade in, a patchwork of wood and stone from all of the places Dipper could remember, and some he was certain he’d forgotten. Eventually Bill paused in front of a door that Dipper remembered far too vividly. It had two greek letters on the front of it. Bill pushed it open, and there was the sorority party that had ruined Dipper’s life. There were Christmas decorations on the walls, a sprig of mistletoe suspended jauntily in the air like an ill timed joke. Below it were Pacifica and a younger, scruffier Dipper. They were fighting. There wasn’t any volume, and there were rips in the fabric of the memory across the walls and floor. Dipper looked at Bill, mostly to avoid looking at Pacifica- in this form of the memory she was sobbing, tears streaming down her face and out her nose in a way Dipper knew she never would have wanted him to see. 

 

“What was it you wanted to show me?”

 

Bill twisted his hands in a way that looked a little bit like sign language. Parts of the memory half faded in- walls and floor reforming. 

 

“Hard to get rid of a memory completely. There are times you look back on a memory and they cloud your perception of it- but I was able to find one of the earlier iterations of it from the memory around it. The one that was ripped out was more vivid, but clouded, because it was more how you remember remembering it- after it happened.” Bill was talking quietly as he made another gesture and rewound. 

 

Dipper grimaced. A part of him wanted to step back out of the memory- he knew he didn’t want to see this. There was an old ache in his chest already starting to burn again and he didn’t- 

 

_ “Is this about Wendy? I told you I was sorry-” _

_ “God I don’t know why you think I care!” Pacifica was backing away from him, holding on to her beer like a lifeline. She had a manic look in her eyes, like someone standing on the edge of a very high cliff and seriously thinking about how much would be left when she hit the bottom. _

_ “-I don’t know what else I’ve done! I know that that matters-” _

_ “Dipper it doesn’t- It doesn’t because- Because I don’t- I’m sorry but-” She was crying now, scared. _

_ “You don’t-” _

_ “I don’t love you! You don’t love me! I’m tired of pretending, I’m tired of acting like this is going to work out!” _

_ “Paz-” The Dipper with the long hair and the ponytail stopped.  _

_ “I’m sorry! I can’t go on like this- I- I miss Mabel- I can’t keep pretending that everything’s just fine and dandy and she’s gone and I- I-”  _

_ “What does Mabel have to do with this?”  _

 

The memory slid into an empty spot in Dipper’s brain. This had been right after Mabel disappeared, before she contacted any of them to tell them why. He hadn’t been able to ask Pacifica if she’d heard from her. Dipper took a step back, but Bill snagged an arm around his waist.

“Wait.” his voice was low, but steel. Dipper stopped.

 

_ “Paz we’ve been together three years..I don’t- I don’t know why you think I- ...” Dipper stopped walking towards her. He didn’t have anything else to say. _

_ “Because you’re goddamn GAY, Dipper.” _

_ “I AM NOT-” _

_ “Stop it! Stop lying to me, stop lying to yourself! You’re with me because it’s easy-” _

_ “Well if I’m gay then why are you with me?” _

_ “Because I’m in love with Mabel!”  _

_ The world stopped. Everyone else who’d been in the room had managed to find the exits or gone upstairs. They were alone, and Pacifica was covering her mouth and backing away. _

_ “You- You used me?”  _

_ Pacifica was still covering her mouth, crying hard. _

_ Dipper’s hands turned to fists. _

_ “You were just-...I did love you! I do love you! Maybe I- Maybe I don’t know how, maybe it’s not all that sexual- maybe I don’t like sex! You don’t get to talk to me like that, you don’t get to tell me what I am to take the blame away when you’ve been TRYING TO SCREW MY SISTER-.” _

 

Dipper cringed-cutting in- 

“Bill is this enough?”

Bill lifted a hand and stopped the memory. 

“So I think it’s safe to assume that Gideon wants to remove all of Mabel’s connections to others. He can’t actually touch your childhood with her- it’s locked up so deep in long term memory that even the magic he’s stolen can’t reach it- but it’s safe to assume that most memories connecting to her- or connected to those memories- have been tampered with.”

 

Bill’s tone was casual, but he was side eyeing Dipper with an emotion that resembled concern. The temperature was dropping in Dipper’s mindscape, and in the distance he could hear the sound of rushing water. 

 

Dipper made a humming noise he hoped was confirmation. He wanted to be back in his house so he could curl up on the floor and die quietly. 

 

“-But you don’t have to worry anymore, because now you’ve got Bill Cipher, lord of nightmares, on your side kid! Some two-bit dealbreaking little shit-for-brains can’t even begin to match me, and I’m going to make him realize that the hard way right before I use his entrails for sausage casing!” Bill popped a plate of sausages into existence and waved it under Dipper’s nose, holding it out on his hand like a waiter at a fancy restaurant. He flicked his wrist and pulled a napkin out of the air, tucking it into Dipper’s shirtfront and winking. 

 

Dipper was experiencing a very distinctive mixture of amusement and nausea.

“Okay- ew-” he pushed Bill’s arm away, smiling despite himself. 

“You enjoy those I guess- how do we get to my house from here?”

 

Bill led the way, humming to himself. Dipper followed behind him, not terribly closely. He was uncomfortable, thinking over what Pacifica had yelled at him in the dream.

  
He remembered the way the rest of it had gone. He remembered her expression going cold.

 

_ Get out of my life, Dipper. _

 

He realized that in that moment, he’d thought she might be right. The thought had been washed over by the pain, by the anger- but in those moments before, he’d believed her. 

 

When had he forgotten? 

 

He’d been on the cusp of admitting it to himself, and admitting it to her. Walking in on Wendy had sealed it for him. He remembered seeing his childhood crush topless and feeling absolutely nothing except embarrassment for how flustered she looked. Not a hint of attraction. 

 

He eyed Bill, flushing a little. The demon’s walk- the way his white button down framed his neck- his shoulder blades- the lines of hips against the fabric- it was all intoxicatingly beautiful in a way that Wendy or even Pacifica had never been. Dipper tried to avert his eyes, still thinking hard. When had he forgotten? Had he ever really thought about it? He remembered plenty of spending time with Tad as his “straight” friend, plenty of jokes he’d enthusiastically denied, plenty of Wendy defending him by telling stories about his awkward crush on him. Had he forgotten what had happened so soon after? A week maybe? More of his memories from senior year were choppy- he barely remembered thinking about or trying to contact Mabel- though he must have been out of his mind looking for her. 

 

He was so focused on not looking at Bill that he walked straight into the demon’s back. Bill turned and smirked at him.

 

“Distracted?” 

Dipper flushed and managed to make eye contact, keeping his voice steady.   
“I was just wondering when Gideon started to alter my memories.”

Bill hummed.

“Had to have been a while back. That memory would have been much less intact- he couldn’t have removed just the sound like that otherwise.”

Dipper grimaced, an unpleasant thought settling in his gut. 

“My head being ripped up like that- did he do that to Mabel’s?”

Bill’s expression emptied, and his eyes seemed to glow a little brighter.

“Kid, that was a scraped knee compared to what he did to Shooting Star.”

 

Dipper clenched his fists.

  
“Well then, who else do I have to fight before I can pay him back for that?”


	10. As long as the road lacks perspective

Dipper was listening to music and humming as he made his way down the street towards the Dusk til Dawn video rental. He swore that Wendy had started working there purely because she found the name nostalgic (and maybe a little bit because Ma and Pop would have loved the old fashioned VCRs and audiobooks). 

 

The bell rang over his head as he entered, Wendy lifting her forehead from the counter to nod at him.

“Sup, Dip?”

Dipper smiled easily at her. 

“Just got a few movies to get. No VCRs, please, I’d rather not have to dredge that thing outta the box in the back of the closet...”

Wendy took the list and raised her eyebrows.

“Whoa dude, didn’t know you were into muppets. I’ve seen Figment, that one’s okay... the rest of these are terrible.”

“Muppets?” Dipper had a bad feeling, and that feeling felt very familiar. 

“Uh, yeah....what’s his name. The guy who does these?”

“Gabe Benson?”

“Yeah. He’s like Jim Henson. The kind of live action ones that use puppets instead of CGI. What’re you getting these for?” Wendy was out of her chair, heading off towards the back of the store with her hands in her pockets.

“I, uh. I have to fight him?” Dipper cringed. Wendy, her arms full of DVDs, raised her eyebrows.

“Why...?”

“You remember that puppet show Mabel put on to impress that guy...?”

“Yeah...? Oh shoot is this the same kid?” 

Dipper grimaced and nodded. Wendy made a face as she put the DVDs on the counter.

“Why’re you fighting him though?”

“Apparently he’s turned evil and is helping this Gideon guy. He’s a sellout, or something?”

Wendy snorted, ringing up the rental.

“Well I’m not sure you’ll learn much watching his terrible movies, but whatever. Give me a call if you want some company.”

Dipper grinned.

“You know I will.”

 

____

 

It wasn’t long after Dipper left that Wendy heard the bell ring again. She looked up, expecting to see a ghost playing with the shop door again. The store hardly ever got 6 people in a day, let alone two in an hour.

“Wendy!” Mabel was standing in the doorway, practically radiating joy. 

“Mabel!” Wendy grinned, “What’s up?”

“Just m’job! You guys ordered a few new display racks...” Mabel deposited the box on the counter. 

“Ugh, work. Haha. I was probably gonna close up shop actually.You wanna hang?”

“Yeah man! We’re watching movies tonight!”

Wendy laughed.

“Dipper was just in here getting those. Sure he won’t mind if I join you?”

“Well of course not, duh! You guys are still besties, right?”

“Dude! Of course.” 

Mabel looked like something had just occurred to her, and she smiled in a way that was familiar enough to make Wendy a little nervous. 

“Could you do me a favor?”

 

___

 

Dipper was settled in at home setting up pillows and extra blankets on the floor, wishing he had a couch. Mabel had a way of spreading herself out. He fussed over the food on the counter, wondering idly whether or not Bill ate human food. Tad had cooked a bunch when Dipper had told him that Mabel was coming over for movie night, but Dipper had taken over right after Tad finished and cooked desserts, popcorn, snack foods... Tad came out of the bathroom in a suit, watching Dipper arranging plates. 

 

“Who else is coming over tonight?”

“Uh. No one. No one important.”

“Dipper, you’re a terrible liar.”

Dipper flushed, biting his lip. He knew he could tell Tad about his sexuality, and Tad knew Gravity Falls, the magic wouldn’t be a shock...He looked up, opening his mouth.

  
The doorbell rang. Tad smiled, wagging a finger.

“You’re only off the hook for now.” 

Dipper nodded and practically sprinted to the door. He threw it open, and there was Bill. He blinked. Bill was practically drowning in a yellow sweater with a black triangle in the middle of it, but it still managed to hang off his shoulders in a way that was making Dipper a little uncomfortable. He averted his eyes to look around. He’d been expecting Mabel to take the lead, but she was nowhere in sight. Behind him, Tad was snickering. 

 

“H-hey Bill. Where’s-”

“Star grabbed your friend and went off to a store to buy drinks- The ones that have intoxicating effects, I believe?” 

Dipper stepped back to let him in.

“She knows I don’t drink.”

“I believe she intends to change that.”

Tad cleared his throat, smirking. Dipper flushed even brighter.

“Ah, Bill. This is Tad, my roommate. Who was just LEAVING. For his DATE.” He shot Tad a glare, to which Tad only smiled brighter.

 

“I am indeed! See you later Dipper!” He was out the door and gone in a few seconds, and Dipper found himself wishing he hadn’t rushed him. Being alone with Bill was a little...

Dipper derailed his train of thought. 

“Do you want any food? I got carried away, and Tad had already cooked, so there’s kind of a lot...” 

“I’d love some!” Bill plopped himself down on a barstool and grabbed a plate, heaping it with food. He held the serving implements like someone who’d seen other people use them, but had never actually touched one. 

“Need any help?” Dipper sat down next to Bill and started serving himself. Bill raised a perfect eyebrow.

“I got it. It’s just been a while since I spent any time on your mortal plane. They weren’t much for silverware...”

Dipper smiled.   
“These movies should be interesting then, though they’re not great examples of Earth culture.”

Bill smirked at Dipper.

“Star’s shown me a few.” The way he said it was making Dipper’s face feel warm.   
“Um, which movies?”

“Hmmm.... Gone with the wind, Romeo and Juliet- though I had seen that one performed, Labyrinth...Oh and 50 shades or something.” Dipper choked on his food. Bill started- placing a hand on Dipper’s back and tilting his head to look into his face.

“Are you alright, Pine tree?”

“Oh- Fine- just- wasn’t-” Dipper took a deep breath and sighed heavily.   
“Shouldn’t have even been surprised.”

Bill smiled.

“Star did explain that not all humans are into pain, and-”

“I really don’t want to know if you discussed BDSM with my sister.”

Bill laughed, another unsettling one that rang around the walls.

“Aw you humans are so sensitive. I was just going to say that I recall enjoying it very much the last time I had a body. I think your modern culture suits me.” Bill winked

Dipper glowered at him, face flushing even brighter, and quickly shoved food into his mouth to avoid the obligation to respond. 

Bill just smiled at him with far too many teeth and continued eating. 

 

Dipper was spared any further conversation by Mabel letting herself in, Wendy right behind her. Wendy was carrying a case of hard apple cider cans, Mabel a bottle of caramel vodka and a jug of actual apple cider from the local farmer’s market. 

 

“Mabel, why do we need that much alcohol?” Dipper eyed the other bag Wendy was carrying, almost certain that it had something else alcoholic in it.

“Because these movies are rreeealllyy bad.” Wendy answered for her, hoisting the bag and the box onto the only spot on the counter that wasn’t already packed with food. 

“I don’t-” Dipper frowned, stopping. Did he drink? He’d been sure he didn’t, but a few of those new memories were floating out, pulled by the one of the party, and he was starting to think that maybe he did. He let it go.

 

Mabel had already prepared a response and didn’t let an unfinished sentence deter her.

 

“I haven’t been drunk with my brobro since we thought those drinks at the wedding were non alcoholic! We’re adults now! I need to experience this!” She puffed up her cheeks and raised a fist in a triumphant gesture. Dipper laughed.

  
“Alright, Alright. Mix me one of your apple cider things, I know you’re dying to.”

 

She mixed a cup for everyone as Dipper went over to finish setting up the DVD. He could feel eyes on his back, and when he’d switched the TV on he turned- meeting Bill’s eye. It was a deep green that almost glowed in the light, and when he smiled it lit his face- a much more affectionate look then the other smile that only showed off his sharp teeth. He went back to talking to Mabel about the biological effects of alcohol. Dipper was more flustered from that look then he was from the BDSM conversation. What was THAT. 

 

They all settled around on the floor, Dipper finding himself between Bill and Mabel. He balanced his plate in his lap and hit play. 

 

4 hours, and a 2 and a half movies later, Dipper realized that he was very drunk, and he REALLY hated Gabe Benson. Around the 30 minute mark they’d propped a party hat on the corner of the screen, and were laughing far too hard every time someone’s head managed to line up with it. Gabe’s movies kept going back and forth between the live action muppets and the labyrinth- odd puppets in daily life stories mixing in with fantasy. Had to hand it to the man- the muppets were fantastically done- but the third movie was some kind of science fiction blade-runner esque world where you weren’t supposed to be able to tell the humans and the ‘synths’ apart, except that the synths were puppets and it REALLY wasn’t hard to tell. Dipper tried an exaggerated head tilt at a clone scene, and fell straight into Bill’s lap. He stayed down for a minute, then lifted an arm with the intention of pulling himself up. 

 

It landed on Bill’s chest, then his collarbone, then his cheek. Dipper patted Bill’s face, his thoughts a pleasant blur, and mumbled something into Bill’s thigh. He wasn’t entirely positive what it was he was trying to say. Distantly, he heard Mabel giggling, but that was more or less constant after the first drink. He wasn’t going to make anything of it at this point. He felt Bill’s hands on his shoulders, then on his waist, and then he found himself being half lifted and half dragged into the other man’s lap, where he was firmly deposited. Bill dropped his chin onto Dipper’s shoulder. 

“You’re distracting me Pine tree. Shush.” 

 

__

  
Star had explained what normal human courtesy was for contact, but Bill was discovering that the more alcohol he consumed the less he remembered. His actions were less the product of consideration, and more what they had been when he’d been an energy being- impulse, action. Nice and easy. Pine Tree’s hair was soft, and though he was actually enjoying this human farce with the meatbags and the cloth creatures, he wanted a little more. There. Soft body, human farce, hair in easy fussing distance. Bill couldn’t remember ever being this comfortable. Of course the human intoxicant was weak- absolutely nothing compared to the time punch and other oddities of space, but he rather liked the soft buzz of it. 

 

Almost as much as he enjoyed the soft human on his chest. 

 

Bill slipped his arms around Dipper’s waist and squeezed a little, enjoying the feeling of the boy’s skin and cotton t-shirt. Dipper giggled. Bill relaxed, leaning against the back of the arm chair and continuing to watch the electric box. The puppet was challenging the actor that Bill could only assume from bits of Mabel’s memories was Gabe. The blonde haired man cracked his knuckles and yelled some cliche human expression. Bill could hear a faint tune and glanced down at Pine Tree, who was singing to himself, his eyes almost completely closed. 

 

_ but as long as we're talking in driftnets _

_ and there's a rotation afoot _

_ all the things we can come up with _

_ will still be surprisingly put _

 

Dipper yawned, interrupting himself, but kept on, almost yawning the words. Bill nuzzled in closer to Dipper’s neck to listen. 

 

_ as long as the road lacks perspective _

_ as long as we swim swim swim _

_ as long as we hold hands in the swiftness _

_ of all three dimensions _

 

Bill stroked his hair. Pine tree’s voice was sweet. He’d have to ask Star later if they could go to one of those concerts she kept talking about. Dipper curled back into Bill’s chest, sighing happily. He seemed exhausted. Bill tapped the boy’s nose- putting him to sleep and sending him off into sweeter dreams. Something with ballroom dancing and puppets. He found that his human body was tired as well, and he settled his back against the chair and closed his eyes, drifting off himself into his home plane. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title and lyrics are from Gordon Downie's "figment" (featured in the scott pilgrim comics as well)
> 
> If anyone wants to google it and tell me what the hell the lyrics mean i'd be much obliged. I'm confused!


	11. Nothing's Ever Over

 

Tad was greeted as he came back home around 11 or 12 by the sight of one Candy Chiu peering into the only window. He stayed quiet and came up close, and then said at normal volume-

“You know this is pretty illegal.”

 

Candy screamed, and seemingly on instinct punched him in the nose.

“Ow! Young lady, you were looking in my window! That was uncalled for.”

Candy froze, seeing who it was as Tad rubbed his nose. The door flew open, and Mabel and Wendy came running out- following the scream. Wendy stopped short and raised her eyebrows.

  
“Candy? What’re you-?”   
Candy’s eyes had locked onto Mabel.   
“You! You stole him!”

Mabel’s eyebrows pulled together. She was mystified.

“I’m sorry- what? Who?”

“You know who!”

Candy was getting into a fighting posture. Tad clamped a hand firmly down on her shoulder.

“I can see that this is all a BIG misunderstanding. So why don’t we clear this up now, and then go inside and have some tea before I get you home.” Candy tried to pull her shoulder loose, but Tad held firm, looking at Wendy. Wendy’s eyes widened as she got it.

 

“Oh! Candy! This isn’t- This is Mabel, Dipper’s _ twin sister _ .”

Candy stopped, really looking at Mabel for the first time, finally seeing her features.

“...oh.” She said softly. The fight went out of her, and she shuffled her feet.

“Mabel pines!” Mabel stuck her hand out, grinning. Candy took it, a little numb from the fight going out of her.

“Hello. I am sorry.”

“Don’t sweat it!  And your name is Candy? I love Candy! We should be friends!” Mabel had been slowly leaning forward, and she fell unceremoniously sideways off the step and into the flowerbush in front of the window. Candy jumped back, squeaking. 

Wendy laughed.

“Oh, sorry. Um. We’ve had- kind of a- a lot- ” She stopped, blinked, and leaned over the other rail to vomit. 

Tad grimaced.

“I’m going to have to put soil over that.”

Candy looked shellshocked. Tad patted her shoulder.

“You want some tea?”

Candy nodded. Tad walked up to the door and opened it. He looked in, closed it again, and turned around, wrapping an arm around Candy’s shoulders and steering her away from the door. 

“Lets go find a 24 hour starbucks! I think there’s one around. Are you two drunks coming?”

Wendy pulled herself up, climbing down the stairs and lifting mabel up. 

They all started off down the street, Candy trying to form the words to ask the questions she had in her head. There were rather a lot of questions. Tad didn’t let go of her shoulder until they were halfway down the street, as though he’d been scared she was going to run back to the door. 

 

Mabel had managed to get her arm around Wendy’s waist, and was alternating between stumbling and skipping. Tad stopped and hustled them into the first 24 hour coffee shop he could find. 

 

Once everyone was settled, and had tea, Tad let out a long sigh. Wendy snorted.

“Were you holding your breath the whole way here?”

“Only metaphorically speaking.” 

Candy frowned into her tea.

“If it wasn’t you then why did Dipper break up with me?”

Wendy put her palm down on the table hard enough that the tea made a little splash and one of the employees glared at them.

“Cancan, I’m gonna be honest with you, because I’ve had a few too many cans’a’ cider, and you need to know.”

She leaned over the table.

“You need t’ know when t’ stop touchin’ people. Doesn’ matter if someone’s your boo, or whatever, sometimes they’re not gonna want affection and you gotta get used to taking your grubby hands off em.”

Mabel cringed.

“OOh, yeah. Dipper really doesn’t like it when girls get clingy. Not even with me.”

Candy paled.

“Oh- oh! I’m- if I apologize do you think he’ll take me back?” Her expression was cheering a little bit, and Tad grimaced.

“Honey, Dipper’s.....” He trailed off, looking at Mabel, who smirked a little and took a long sip of her tea. She and Wendy tried for a subtle fistbump under the table, but were too drunk and ended up kind of half holding hands for a second and then letting go. 

“Dipper’s what??”

 

“Oh-!” 

They all looked up. There’d been a new voice from the door. Tad made a kind of stressed noise, and Wendy just laughed, too drunk to care.

“Look what the cat dragged in!”

 

Mabel looked up and over, and her face fell.

“Paz-?”

“Mabel?” Pacifica northwest was standing in the doorway. Her hair was blonde and blue- streaked in ice colors. She was wearing the same outfit she was wearing on the cover of the magazines that were on a rack near the coffee counter- long blue sundress, white leather jacket. 

“Pacifica!” 

Mabel was up and running before anyone had a chance to blink. She threw herself into Pacifica’s arms. 

Tad and Wendy tensed, waiting for a disaster.

Pacifica was shaking. Her arms shook as she reached up and wrapped her arms around Mabel, hugging her back, tight.

“Mabel- I didn’t know what happened to you- you didn’t say anything after you left and I couldn’t ask Dipper any more and-”

“I’m so sorry.” Mabel mumbled into Pacifica’s shoulder.

“He wouldn’t let me contact you. I don’t know why. He let me call Dipper after a little while- but I wasn’t allowed to tell you that I was okay or anything. I- I- tried to send a letter but I think he found it first.”

Pacifica just hugged her tighter.

 

Wendy and Tad’s expressions had gone from horror to confusion, settling on amusement as Mabel and Pacifica continued to block the doorway.

Candy leaned over to Tad.

 

“Is that the lead singer of Dreamscapers? North? Can I get her autograph?”

Tad snorted.

“Probably, but maybe wait a bit. I think some things needed to be sorted out.”

“... _ my life is magical now.”  _ Candy whispered to herself, taking another long sip of her tea. Tad side-eyed her, but decided to let it go. At least she’d been distracted from the earlier topic. 

 

There was a squeal, and they looked up. Mabel had apparently just gone ahead and passed out, and Pacifica was holding her up with an awkward sort of panic. Wendy laughed, getting up to help. Together they got Mabel back into the booth, settling her on Pacifica’s shoulder.

 

Pacifica had a bit of a wild look on her face, glancing around as though looking for the paparazzi.

_ Probably actually what she’s doing. _ Tad thought. His suspicions were confirmed when she leaned over to him.

“Can we maybe talk somewhere more private? Or just get Mabel home and I can...catch up with you guys later?” She didn’t look too pleased about that second option.

An idea occurred to Tad. 

“Pacifica, darling, I’d invite you back to the apartment but there’s only a futon on the floor and it’s occupied. I guess we could all pile in and Mabel could sleep on the floor, but-”

“Let me put you all up for the night.”

Tad felt the warmth of victory in his chest.

“Would you? That would be really nice of you. So long as we can get back early in the morning so Dipper doesn’t....miss his appointment.” 

Tad grimaced. Dipper’s “appointment” was crashing the filming set of  “Jurassic sap hole” to fight Gabe Benson, but Pacifica didn’t need to know THAT. 

 

They went outside, and Tad wasn’t terribly surprised to find a limo waiting on the curb. 

“What were you even doing here?”

Pacifica shrugged.

“Actually, I saw Wendy through the window. I had an offer for your band. We can talk about that later, though.” She was close to Wendy’s side, which Tad suspected had more to do with Wendy carrying Mabel then it did to any fondness for her former friend. 

 

Wendy shrugged.

“You’re famous, I’m down to take advantage of you.” 

“Aw you need all the help you can get don’t you? I’m just impressed you haven’t traded in that guitar for an axe so you can join your dad in the woods.”

Tad cringed, climbing into the limo to be out of the way in case Wendy decked Pacifica. 

 

Wendy didn’t. Her arms were full of Mabel, who was drooling a little in her sleep, and she knew Paz by this point to know that she was all bark. Still a bitch. But not worth it. Wendy took a long breath.

 

“Take Mabel.” she heaved Mabel towards Pacifica, whose arms came up so quickly to grab her that Wendy was amazed that Paz hadn’t managed to accidentally hit herself. 

 

Wendy climbed into the limo, settling back to watch Pacifica’s struggle to climb in behind her. Somehow she managed it without setting Mabel down, which spoke volumes more than she probably wanted to, but when she settled herself into the seat with Mabel in her lap she managed to look glamorous as ever. Candy climbed in next as Tad settled back into the seat.

  
“How about we all sleep this off and catch up over breakfast in the morning?”

The doors slid shut automatically as Pacifica nodded.

  
Candy looked like she wanted to disappear. “Uh, can you drop me off at home, please? I’m sorry.”

 


	12. Precious little life

Dipper woke up in the morning warm, but with a pounding headache. He groaned, wondering how he was so comfortable when his head was at such a weird angle. He opened his eyes, looked up, and closed them again. 

 

Okay. Deep breaths. Those certainly still felt like arms around his waist. He opened his eyes again. Yellow-sweatered arms were wrapped around him, and something smelled like myyrh and honey. He shifted his weight slightly, and then froze as he felt a shift underneath him. Soft hair tickled his neck.

 

The memories from last night were coming back to him. Bill had been...cuddly? Dipper groaned internally. He was in Bill’s arms. He had  _ fallen asleep  _ in Bill’s arms, in front of his sister. He was absolutely never going to live this down. And-

The door opened. 

 

Tad poked his head in, grinning cheerfully at what was no doubt a very unpleasant expression on Dipper’s face. 

“G’Morning sunshine! I brought breakfast from an expensive restaurant!” 

A muffled voice behind him said something sarcastic, and Dipper’s blood ran cold. Oh god- that couldn’t be- he flailed, trying to get up, but Bill’s arms were suddenly firm around his waist.

“Easy kid, relax.” His voice sounded heavy his hand was suddenly in Dipper’s hair, his thumb rubbing the base of his neck in a way that made Dipper relax involuntarily. 

 

Tad held the door open, and Mabel came in, followed by Pacifica Northwest. Dipper found that his desire to get out of Bill’s grip had suddenly been replaced by a desire to make himself as small as possible and hide in the larger man’s arms. Bill made a pleased noise. Dipper blushed.

 

Pacifica looked around as she entered the room, still focused on Tad.

“Honestly Tad you don’t just announce that. You’d make a terrible rich person.” Her eyes fell on Dipper the same moment Mabel’s did, and Dipper was saved by whatever she was about to say by Mabel’s glass-breaking shriek. 

 

“Ouch.” Bill rubbed his aching temples, finally letting go of Dipper’s waist. Dipper scrambled up, crossing over to the bar a little too quickly and glaring at Mabel. He went into the kitchen, reaching into the medicine cabinet to get Ibuprofen. He filled up two cups with water, and he turned back around and crossed back over to Bill, offering the cup and the pills. He knew his face was red, and he knew that Pacifica and Mabel were staring at him- but he kept his eyes on Bill, who was regarding him with amusement. 

 

“What’s this do?”

“It’s for the headache from the alcohol.”

“Mm. thanks kid.” Bill smiled the too-big snarl and took the glass and pills, downing the pills and chewing them before he drank the water. Dipper blinked, cringing. He decided not to say anything, finally turning back to Pacifica.

 

Pacifica looked...oddly happy, and almost insecure, but she grimaced when she met Dipper’s eyes.

 

“Urgh, hey Dipper. Why didn’t you tell me when you found out that Mabel was okay?”

Had to hand it to her, she always got straight to the point.

“To be honest with you, I don’t remember. I have some amnesia around that time.” Dipper took his ibuprofen. The silence was broken only by Tad whistling to himself as he pulled food out of the boxes and warmed it for Dipper and Bill. 

Pacifica’s expression softened.

“I guess that’s a reason. Whatever. At least I know now.”

Mabel snagged pacifica around the waist.

“And I am home! Home home home! Uuh. well. I will be after Dipper kills a few more people.”

“He WHAT.”

Mabel laughed nervously. 

“Well not necessarily...uhh. They only kind of die.”

It was Dipper’s turn to cut in then, settling himself in the armchair next to Bill’s shoulder. 

“What do you mean they only kind of die? If I'm heading off to my next fight in-” he trailed off, looking around for his phone.

“An hour.” Tad supplied. 

“...-an hour, then I'd like to know how this works.”

Mabel scrunched up her face and looked at Bill. Bill sighed and shifted up, settling on the arm of Dipper’s chair. He waved a hand and a hologram appeared in the center of the room. It was an 8-bit Dipper standing at the base of a staircase. On the first step was Jeff, on the second Gabe, and the rest were shadowy outlines. The top step didn't have an outline- just pixelated words that read “FINAL BOSS” 

 

“This is the league of evil exes. Gideon is a mage- and a good one- but he's marketed himself as a scientist of sorts, so many of his...creations. Share attributes with mortal technology. This particular piece of work-”

“it's a video game.” Dipper said, a little louder than he intended to. Bill nodded, smiling at him in a way that made Dipper’s insides melt. 

 

“Smart, kid. When one of the enemies is defeated they're reset to a save point, and they drop loot- some of your mortal money, maybe items. Many of these bozos aren't supposed to be able to operate outside of Gravity Falls so they go right back where they came from.” 

 

Dipper felt the begginings of relief. 

“Does that mean that they can't actually kill me?”

“Nope! They can kill you. And you can kill the little brat, just not the other idiots he's roped into this. You might be able to find save points or other things, but I doubt that Gideon added too many of those given that he'd love nothing more than to dismember you.”

The relief was gone as quickly as it had come.

“Great.” 

Bill tousled his hair.

“Don't worry about it. He's a pissy little brat, but he doesn't want to just outright kill you. You'll have a chance.” 

Dipper made a grumbling noise. Bill waved his hand and the diagram flew away. Pacifica sat down on a bar stool, looking a little scared. 

 

“What does this have to do with Mabel?”

Mabel smiled a huge embarrassed grin.

“uuh. Well they're my evil exes.” 

Pacifica stared at her for a long minute, made a strained expression, and then turned to Tad.

“Got any more of whatever you were drinking last night?”

“Oh, absolutely.”

______

 

At 11.45, Dipper and Tad headed out. Bill had disappeared a few minutes earlier- promising to bring Mabel by later after he'd sorted out something. Mabel and Pacifica were day drinking, and Dipper had decided to leave them well alone. 

 

They walked up to the set, up a massive staircase that twisted back onto itself in odd ways. They were panting by the time they reached the top- coming out on the landing at the base of a huge stone cathedral.

 

Sitting in the shade on one of the stone walls was Gabe Benson, a creepy goblin puppet sitting next to him. Dipper noted that he was wearing black Rollerblades, and he remembered when they were kids and Gabe had been showing off- going down the school rails on his rollerblades. He glanced back at the stairs, an idea forming. 

 

“Hey Gabe!” He called, sticking his hands in his pockets. Gabe looked up, staring at him for a long minute before recognition crossed his features. 

 

“Dipper Pines. Just the man I wanted to see.” He smiled one of his bright, perfect smiles, and then there was a blur where he had been standing. Dipper blinked, trying to get his eyes to focus- and Gabe’s fist connected with Dipper’s face. 

 

Tad blinked. One second Gabe had been sitting on the wall and Dipper had been at Tad’s side, and the next Dipper was flying through one of the Cathedral walls and Gabe was standing next to Tad. 

 

Gabe looked over at Tad and smiled. 

“Maybe we should take 5. Hi, I'm Gabe. Are you from Gravity Falls? You look familiar.” 

Tad smiled one of his blank smiles. 

“Yes, hello. I'm Tad Strange.” 

“Cool, man. Cool name. You should go check on Dipper. Do you guys want some lemonade? Maybe a fruit cup?”

“Absolutely.” 

Gabe bladed away and Tad crossed over to pull Dipper out of the wreckage of a wall.

Dipper groaned. 

“What-”

“I don't know but I don't think Gideon is playing fair.”

“No shit.”

Tad frowned. His friend was going to die. 

“What are we going to do?”

Dipper shrugged rubble off of his shoulders. 

“I've got a plan.”

Tad didn't feel particularly reassured by that, but Gabe skated back over before he could question it, holding two glass bottles of lemonade and a fruit cup. 

“Sorry about that man, should have given you more warning.” Gabe offered Dipper a bottle. 

“Thanks. Would have been nice to be prepared. That was a hell of a punch.”

Gabe shrugged. 

“It's the blades. They're a +2 to strength and dex. Jeff didn't drop any equipment?”

Dipper grimaced. 

“Nope.”

“that's the breaks man.” 

Dipper took a swig of his lemonade, trying to look casual despite his broken and probably bleeding nose. 

“Yeah.  _ Random chance  _ I guess,” he was pretty sure it wasn't, “that's a pretty awesome set of roller blades, though. Are you as good with those as you were with the ones you had back in Gravity Falls?” 

“Better.” he smirked. 

“Can you still grind?”

“Of course.”

“What about those rails?” Dipper nodded towards the stairs they'd just come up. 

Gabe raised his eyebrows. 

“No one can do that.”

Dipper forced a shocked expression. 

“you've got a dex +2! You can't manage a stair rail?” 

Gabe looked at him for a long minute, and then shrugged. 

“Guess I'll show you something cool before I kill you.” He smiled affably and handed the other lemonade and the fruit cup to Tad before offering Dipper a hand up. Dipper took it, feeling considerably less confident as Gabe helped him over to the wall overlooking the rail. But any delay was a worthwhile one. 

Gabe jumped on the rail and started to go down. He was landing every jump perfectly, but Dipper could see him picking up speed. At the last section of staircase he was almost a blur, and Dipper saw a familiar mop of brown hair coming out of a door across the street and a faint voice call out. Gabe’s concentration was broken, and he slipped- slamming into the ground with such force that coins exploded onto the pavement. 

 

Mabel was whistling as she crossed the street, waving up at Dipper and Tad. Dipper waved back, but didn't move to get up. Everything hurt. 

 

“Can I pass out now?”

Tad wrapped an arm around his shoulder. 

“Not quite yet.” Tad helped him down the stairs, and when they reached the bottom there were a pair of roller blades suspended in the air, glowing. There was bold text above them. 

 

**MITHRIL ROLLERBLADES**

**+2 DEXTERITY**

**+2 SPEED**

**+2 STRENGTH**

 

Dipper reached out and grabbed them, nearly dropping them when the levitation stopped. He heard a low laugh and looked up to see Bill walking up the sidewalk. 

 

“You don't look so great, Pine Tree.” 

Dipper grunted. Blackness was starting to form at the edge of his vision. He heard Tad- faintly-

“Gabe threw him through a wall.” 

“That would explain the brick pieces in his hair.”

“I am rather curious about how he survived that.” Tad’s voice was even, betraying nothing.

Bill grinned. 

“I may have reinforced his bones a little. You meatsacks are so delicate. Can't have my favorite toy getting broken.”

Dipper grumbled a protest at his wording, but his heart wasn't really in it. He was happy to not be dead. 

“Oooohhh he's your favorite?” Mabel nudged Bill with her elbow. 

Bill’s expression flickered before returning to a smirk. 

“Maybe, what's it to you Star?”

Mabel just waggled her eyebrows and giggled.

 

“I think we should be getting home. Is Ms. Northwest-?” Tad looked to Mabel. 

“Nah. She's gone. She left an invitation to her show. And uh, some bad news.”

Mabel held out the paper. Dipper straightened, leaning heavily on Tad, and took it. He groaned. 

 

“Don't tell me-”

“I'm sorry.” 

 

The flier for Dreamscapers had two familiar figures behind Pacifica- one pink-haired schoolgirl with a rainbow ribbon in her hair on guitar, and one heavy set blond man in a karate gi on drums. 

 

Dipper let out a heavy sigh. 

 

“Let's go home.” 

 

Bill fell into step next to them as they took the sidewalks back home. Dipper wondered, briefly, how he'd gotten pulled into this. But he'd just gotten Mabel back. He glanced over at her. She looked a little distant. He'd noticed that she hadn't really been herself- she seemed less involved lately. It made his stomach clench. 

 

It was going to be alright again. It had to be. 2 down. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! leave a comment if you have any thoughts (Always appreciate it!) 
> 
> See you soon for Pacifica Northwest and the Infinite Sadness


	13. The Infinite Sadness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ..and we enter the mabifica region of this story as Bill takes a while to realize that feelings are a thing

Pacifica had not called her limo. Instead she was walking home in one of Mabel’s famous sweaters, looking up at the sky and wondering if she’d make it before it rained. She knew she could call a cab, but she needed to think, and no one was going to think that North, pop idol of the Dreamscapers, was walking outside in the rain in a big blue sweater.

 

She plopped herself down on a park bench and looked up at the sky, willing it to rain. She thought that maybe she should have been madder at Dipper- but truth was she didn’t remember much of that year either. 

 

She remembered band practices, having fun with it. Some big fight with Dipper. Something about him walking in on Wendy? No. She remembered Wendy drumming in the background as she played the keyboard onstage. They’d never gotten along, but she trusted the woodsman’s daughter. What happened that night?   
  


She heard a noise behind her, an 8 bit shuffle, and a pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders.

 

“Hey sweetie. Why the long face hon? What’re you doing out here?”

Pacifica tilted her head back against a soft chest, almost purely out of habit.

“What about you?”

Pink hair brushed against her forehead as the schoolgirl’s face leaned over hers.

“Looking for you, dearest. You didn’t call last night.”  Giffany’s voice was sweet, but had an edge to it. 

Pacifica made a noncommittal noise. 

“I just met up with some old friends. Passed on that invite to Scampfire to open for our show.”

“Oh they’re your friends now, are they?”

Pacifica noted, blankly, that Giffany’s eyes were turning red. This wasn’t an uncommon occurrence.

“Maybe. They were once.”

 

In Pacifica’s mind she was sitting in the woods on a rock with an acoustic guitar in her hands. Mabel and Wendy were with her, Wendy showing her how to play with Mabel humming along and occasionally improvising words and bits of melody. 

 

_ And when I’m alone in bed at night, _

_ I’m wishing you were holding me tight- _

 

_ Keep up the pace- _

_ This was not the case, _

_ I never loved you _

 

Pacifica stood and turned back to Giffany, offering her her hand.

“Come on. I’m your girl. Let’s go home.”

Her voice sounded hollow to her own ears, but Giffany seemed satisfied, her eyes returning to pink. 

“Yes Darling.” Giffany grabbed her arm and smooshed herself to Pacifica’s side, and Pacifica allowed herself to be comforted by the familiar warmth of the other woman. 

 

Pacifica allowed Giffany to distract her, but when she went to bed that night she dreamed of falling into vivid darkness. 

 

She looked down, finding that she could see her own hands. The dark almost had a texture, soft like fabric. On an impulse, she grabbed the air, and it ripped open into vivid light. Her hands caught the edge of a wooden floor. She climbed up. 

 

Mabel was on the end of her bed with a guitar, playing. Her long hair was torn, and her eyes were red from crying. She was singing, but her voice kept breaking.

 

_ “Oh, stop pretending _

_ That this isn't really ending _

_ And I will stop resenting you _

_ When you stop resenting me” _

 

“Mabel-?”

 

Pacifica reached out, but her hand in front of her was transparent. A door opened behind Mabel and she jumped, scrambling to hide the guitar.

 

“Why my princess, what’s this?”

“N-nothing Gideon-”

“Are you hiding things from me again?”

“N-no-”

The boy in the doorway was short, with a mass of silver hair piled on his head and a soft, doughy face. His blue eyes were like chips of ice. 

 

The scene slowed down, and there was another figure in the doorway- wearing a yellow sweater.

 

“Come on.” Bill called, gesturing at Pacifica to come through the door. 

“She wouldn't want you to see this.”

Pacifica looked numbly at Mabel’s figure and the fear in her eyes as Gideon got close to her. She closed her eyes and seemed to be bracing herself, still saying something that Pacifica couldn't hear, and the blonde made herself look away and went through the door. 

 

Bill closed it firmly behind them and traced a circle on the wood. Chains formed, wrapping around the door. 

 

“That should hold.” he turned back to Pacifica, smiling one of his shark-toothed grins.

“Thanks kid. Showed me another weak spot. Not that there's any shortage of those in this mess.” he took off down the hallway they'd entered, and Pacifica looked down to find herself standing on a plush, pink carpet. 

“Hey wait- where am I?” 

Bill lifted a hand in a dismissive wave as he tapped the wood of the next door experimentally. 

“You're in a dream.” he tapped the door again before he opened it, leaning in. Pacifica walked quickly but carefully up to him, looking through the door. 

 

There was Mabel, her back to them, on the porch of the mystery shack. Her shoes were off and her toes were covered in pink polish and glitter, stuck out in the sun to dry. She was humming a tune that sounded familiar. Bill stepped back and closed the door. 

 

“Nope. Next.”

“What are you doing?”

“None of your business, kid. You've just wandered into someone else's dream.”

“I thought you said this was my dream.” Pacifica  was starting to sound a little huffy. 

“Mm, no, I don't think I said that.”

 

Bill opened the door across the hallway. Pacifica could see Mabel on the stage at an open Mike night at a coffee shop doing beat poetry, and the back of her own head in the crowd. 

 

“My name is Mabel-

It rhymes with table-”

 

Bill closed the door.

 

“Nope.”

 

“Well if if is someone else's dream then how did I get here?”

“I think you'd know that better then I would, Kid.”

“But you mentioned weak spots-”

“That's just a where, not a how.”

 

Bill opened the next door and grunted-

 

“Hold the door.” Pacifica stepped forward to grab the handle, but nearly let her grip slide when she saw what was inside. 

 

Mabel’s hands were on fire- glowing blue- her body alight like a meteor. She seemed to be standing on a vast chessboard, the pieces pushed off to the sides and knocked down. Across from her was the boy from the other memory. 

 

“All you have to do is yield, sweetling. Wasn't it so easy before? All you have to do is let go, and I'll give you your memories back.”

“I won't let go. I don't have to. Because I'm going to TAKE THEM back.” she launched forward, knocking him down. Her arm ripped away from his throat and even from the distance Pacifica could see a silvery chain, broken, in her hand. 

 

“What do you think you're- you'll destroy yourself!” 

Mabel was glowing like a beacon, brighter and brighter. 

 

“Maybe.”

 

She blinked out of existence, and Bill stepped into the memory. The silver haired boy seemed to see him immediately.

 

“Cipher! You have no power here! This world is of my making!”

 

“Wrong!” Bill practically sang, skipping over. 

 

Bill’s foot connected with Gideon’s side, punting the smaller man hard enough to send him flying. He seemed to rip through the sky of the memory and the colors of the scene started to get hazy and spin. Bill sprinted back to the door as the scene disappeared around him, tossing himself back through just as a brick wall slammed into existence in place of the doorway an inch from Pacifica’s nose. Numbly, she let go of the door handle. 

 

She tried to think of a question. There were so many, but none of them could really express anything. She closed the door over the brick wall and followed Bill further down the hallway. After a moment, Bill turned to her and smiled one of his unsettling grins.

 

“So. You’re the one that’s in love with Star. We didn’t really meet.”

 

Pacifica spluttered, trying to think of something to say.

“No- I- uh- I have a girlfriend.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“What do you care anyway? Not sure you’re her type.” Pacifica crossed her arms.

Bill made a dramatic gesture and a loud beeper sounded, making her jump.

“Nope and nope- though I know she likes blondes-” He winked.

“-Actually Pine tree is of much more interest to me.”

Pacifica was about to splutter another retort when the second part of the sentence clicked in her head, and she remembered seeing Bill and Dipper together right before she and Tad had started drinking. 

“You like Dipper?”

Bill smiled, although there was a slightly dangerous look in his eye.

“Oh, Like. I suppose. He’s interesting.”

Pacifica filed that information away to use later, then realized that since they’d stopped moving she had an opportunity to ask some questions.

“What are these doors? They look like Mabel’s memories.”

“Got it in one! Maybe you’re not quite as dumb as you look.”

“How DARE you-”

Bill’s eye turned bright red and black, his smile not fading off his face while his teeth grew into fangs. Pacifica stopped. After a second, he blinked and his eye was back to normal.

“You’re in Star’s mind kid. And since your thoughts are written on your face-” Bill waved a hand and a mirror appeared in front of pacifica, showing the words

_ What are you doing with the memories _

Written on her forehead. She smelled the distinct odor of sharpie as the mirror disappeared again.

 

Bill continued as she furiously tried to wipe her forehead.

“The kid is trying to get into Mabel’s head through her memories of him. And because he’s trying to get a foothold her waking mind is constantly full of him too. So I think you’ll find that there are benefits to providing me with some assistance.” 

 

“You want my help?”

  
Bill smiled, unsettlingly.

 

“I think you want to help me, kid. Probably why you ended up here.” He held out his hand, palm up.

“What do you say?”

Pacifica eyed his hand.

“My parents told me never to shake a demon’s hand.”

Bill snorted.

“Good advice. Fair enough.”

He snapped his fingers and a triangle shaped pendant on a golden chain materialized in his hand. 

“Here then. Look for the kid with the silver hair, don’t step into the door, touch the pendant and then the lock. Easy enough for you, llama?”

“Llama?” Bill pointed at her shirt. She looked down, noticing that she was wearing the llama sweater Mabel had given her years ago. When she looked back up Bill was gone, and she was alone in the hallway.

  
Alright then. 

 


	14. Save Point

Pacifica went from door to door, looking in at Mabel’s memories- though as briefly as she could, she didn’t want to invade Mabel’s privacy. Some doors were labeled, and she mostly skipped those- first kiss, 3rd birthday, 10th birthday, first time... She’d locked a few mostly harmless memories of conversations that she assumed must have been when she first met Gideon, but there were certainly worse memories mixed in. A few with casual comments that made the light in the memory shift to blue- little things about Mabel’s weight, about her looks, about how bad she was at keeping a job...things that made Pacifica’s stomach twist. It wasn’t long before she got to a door with a checkerboard pattern- labelled ‘stop thinking about it’

 

When she touched the knob words panned across the door in a bold black script-  _ Saving...saving...autosave complete.  _ She paused for a second, wondering about the implications of that. She braced herself, taking a deep breath. 

 

Pacifica twisted the silver knob and pushed the door open. Inside were Mabel and Gideon- Mabel was sitting on the floor at Gideon’s feet, in a brightly lit apartment. The boy was sitting on a couch behind her, putting what looked like electrodes on her head, attaching adhesive patches connected to wires to her forehead and the base of her neck and shoulders.

 

“..-is this going to hurt?” Mabel was asking, but she looked relaxed.

“Not a bit my honey. Just you hold tight, I’m almost done.”

“And this’ll let you visit me when I get home? Through my head?”

“Yes love.”

Mabel closed her eyes contentedly and hummed a tune that was achingly familiar. 

 

_ “...I waited up late, maybe, a little too late _

_ Until you finally came in _

_ Where do I end and where do you begin?.” _

 

She was barely mouthing the words, but Pacifica knew them by heart. Gideon was reaching for the switch, and the smile on his face didn’t look nice anymore. He flicked it.

 

For a split second Mabel looked the same as ever, then her eyes opened. They were bright, pure blue.

“Gid-” 

The scene exploded. The chessboard- the pieces in place- fading in and out of sight while the couch flickered different colors and patterns. Mabel clutched her head, her body closing around itself. 

“No- This-” 

Pacifica could see a chain around Mabel’s neck, could see the end of it forming in Gideon’s hand as he stood. He pulled Mabel’s head back.

 

Pacifica was across the line of the memory before she even realized what was happening, running for Gideon. They saw her the moment her first foot was through the door, Mabel’s face twisting with shock and Gideon’s with pure rage.

  
“I will not stand for any more interference! She’s mine!” Gideon lifted a hand, and Pacifica felt a wave of force hit her, throwing her back again. She hit the ground hard on her back, and lay winded again before she could push herself up. She didn’t run forward again immediately, crouching. She needed- something. Some advantage. She clearly wasn’t as fast or as powerful as Bill- 

 

But Mabel hadn’t been, and she’s fought him in the other memory. There had to be something-

 

Bill’s voice rang in her ears.

 

_ In trouble, kid?  _ The pendant lit a brilliant gold and Pacifica felt a jolt of energy go through her, cold and icy. Her hands suddenly felt submerged in water, and when she lifted them there were fireballs around them, burning blue and flicking with gold at the edges. She closed her fists. 

 

Gideon’s face was twisting again- lifting his hand to send another blast- Pacifica launched herself forwards again, running with her head down. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do when she reached him- he had mabel- but her hands moved on their own and she grabbed the chain where it connected to Mabel’s neck and yanked him forwards- her other fist coming forward to meet him. There was a crack, and Pacifica felt something break against her fist. Gideon staggered back, releasing the chain. His nose was bleeding, and angled in a way that definitely wasn’t natural. His eyes lit fluorescent blue.

  
“Oh you shouldn’t have done that-” He began to grow, and his skin started to go silver and metallic. 

“Time to go kid!” Bill was suddenly beside her, grabbing her around the waist and throwing her over his shoulder. He started to run, but Pacifica could see the Mabel in the dream looking after them- lost and scared.

  
“Wait! What about-”

“Nope!” 

Pacifica tried to kick him, and he threw her into the hallway, hard, his eye flicking between normal and red.

“It’s not her, you stupid kid!” 

He dove out of the way of a giant metal foot and managed to get through the door, pulling it shut. The locks formed, Pacifica trying to get up and get back to the door.

“She’s stuck in there-”

“No she’s not. It’s just a shade, just a memory. Funny you’re so worried about her now, since you’re not exactly helping where it counts-” Bill’s voice was steel, but his eye was glowing red.

“-So you do care about Star. Good to know! Glad I got that information.” Pacifica had to press herself back against the wall as blue flames began to lick up against Bill’s shoes.

“So now that I know that- I can get more answers-” He leaned very close to Pacifica, all friendly facade gone now, his eye black and red and burning like a hellscape.

“Why are you helping the girl?”

“T-The what? I don’t-”

Bill waved a hand. The locked door disappeared- another open one appearing in its place. Through it, Mabel and Giffany were sitting on a park bench- holding hands and looking up at the sky. Giffany was more pixelated- but she was unmistakable. Bill waved a hand and the door slammed shut again.

“I d-d-didn’t know-”

Bill smiled, and it was somehow more frightening then his eyes- His eyepatch was gone, suddenly, and the sockets were empty and vast like caverns lit by lava deep in the depths of them.    
“Oh you didn’t?”

“Okay! I kind of- I just wanted-”

Pacifica was desperately trying to say something that wouldn’t get her killed, but from somewhere in the hallway came the sound of a clock ticking.

“They told me she left because she found out about me! I know it wasn’t right to go along with forming the league but they told me that these were just other people she hurt and I didn’t know-”

Bill’s skin had gone from brown to black, and his eye was glowing. Pacifica’s throat closed. She was going to die. The fire that had been around Bill’s feet rushed up in a wave and she closed her eyes-

 

She was holding the silver doorknob in her hand.

_ Save complete.  _

 

Pacifica let go of the doorknob as though it had burned her and slammed the pendant against the wood. The chains formed and she took a few long breaths to steady herself. Okay. The system worked for her. That didn’t mean it had worked on Bill. She doubted Gideon was powerful enough to rewind time for a demon. 

 

Think. How not to die. Bill’s voice started behind her. 

 

“Alright. Now that we’ve gone through that little exercise-”

 

Pacifica took a few deep breaths and turned around. Bills hands were lit with blue fire, but his eye was back to white and black, even if his pupil was slitted like a cat’s. The eyepatch was back in place as though it had never gone.

 

“-as fun as it would be to trap you in an unending nightmare, I'm going to give you a chance!” 

 

Bill snapped his fingers, and the hallway around them tore apart. Neat wallpapered pinks and blues were gray with jagged tears, the edges of the locked doors glowed black and the chains rattled. Some oozed out what looked like liquid galaxy along their bottoms. Glowing blue tendrils crept through the cracks in the walls and wound themselves around the door hinges and knobs, many torn where the door had been opened and hanging limp. The door behind Pacifica shook and she stepped back from it, something in her chest feeling horribly cold. 

 

“What did you do?” her voice caught in her throat, realizing as she said it that it wasn't the right question. 

“The only bits of this that are my handiwork are the locks, kid. The rest of this is your  _ friend. _ ”

“he- Gideon? Gideon is NOT my friend- Giffany just told me that there was some kind of group of people that Mabel had hurt making sure she didn't hurt anyone else. I heard she'd made a deal with a demon and gone insane- I knew it wasn't true the moment I saw her again. I'm not against you.” Despite knowing her life depended on convincing Bill that she wasn't a threat, Pacifica felt strangely calm, the wave of fear passing over and disappearing. She wasn't his enemy. 

 

He reached up and put his palm on her forehead, and she could feel light passing over her- invading bits of her memories and pulling tendrils of them out. The conversations with Giffany, the confirmations from Rumble, carefully cropped pictures and emails from Gideon of chain-shaped scars on his neck. She felt them all flash by, could see images from them reflected in Bill's eye like it had turned into a TV screen behind his pupil. He lifted his hand, and Pacifica could feel the tendrils recede. 

 

“You mortals are both too trusting and not trusting enough. Your love makes you blind, makes you loyal, makes you betray each other.” his voice echoed on itself like the depths of a cave. He smiled, slightly, shaking his hand as though there were some physical residue of her memories on it. 

 

“I suppose you are an ally.” He twisted his wrist, and the triangle pendant sitting against her chest turned from a solid metal piece to a set of twisting strands with a circle inside of it, bearing small symbols and an eye in the center. He looked it over for  a second, nodded approvingly, and set off down the hallway again.

 

“I need to remain here, but I think you had better wake up,” he called over his shoulder, “I think you have some things to confess to Star.” His eye glowed yellow for a moment. Pacifica felt the world begin to fade around her, felt the fabric of the sheets under her hand even as she clenched her hands together. 

 

“Thanks.”

“For what?” Bill didn’t pause, growing further away as Pacifica faded from the dream.

“Showing me.”

She was gone, and Bill did pause a moment to look back at where she’s disappeared before he set back down the hallway. Humans were strange. It troubled him slightly that he was beginning to understand them. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was great until I finished it and I sat back and I went "What the fuck" and I called my beta   
> and i just said "So Bill just killed someone"   
> and her response, verbatim, was just "NO."
> 
> I mean it's all okay but oh man. That Happened.


	15. Whose Side Are You On?

 

Pacifica woke up in the morning with a sense of dread settling into her gut. Giffany was long gone, thank god, and the apartment was quiet. Pacifica shuffled out of bed, finding her spare clothes in one of the drawers. On an impulse, she grabbed a bag and started filling it with her things. She grabbed nearly everything she’d kept in Giffany’s apartment- toothbrush, clothes, jewelry...It all went into the handbag that Gideon had modified for her. It was a pocket dimension.  She couldn’t help but cringe at having to stuff nice fabric into the bag, knowing it was falling into a heap in a room somewhere, but she knew that no matter how tonight ended she wasn’t going to come back here.

 

She stepped out of the apartment phone in hand, already dialing. Only a single ring before it picked up. 

 

_ “..Hello?” _

“Hey Wendy.”

“ _ Sorry man I don’t have this number saved. Who’s this?” _

“It’s Pacifica.”

_ “..Oh. Uh, Hey. What do you want?”  _ Wendy’s voice was more guarded than actively unfriendly. Pacifica supposed it was the best she could expect. 

“Do you want to get breakfast? I’d like to talk with you and I need a ride.”

Wendy scoffed.

_ “Don’t tell me you need a ride, miss limo, but sure I’ll pick you up and we can get real person food and you can pay. Where are you at?” _

Pacifica recited the address and got off the phone after a curt agreement by Wendy to be there in a few minutes. Wendy lived on the border between the tourist and residential areas, she’d make it quickly.

Hopefully before Giffany got home. 

 

Her luck seemed to hold, though Wendy’s pickup truck pulling into the front of the expensive building certainly raised some eyebrows- as did Pacifica in her usual attire climbing in. Her hair was in a high ponytail, and she was wearing a long white dress with a cut up the leg and blue boots. She kept her chin high as she stepped up high into Wendy’s car and closed the door behind her. 

 

Wendy raised a single eyebrow, smiling, but didn’t ask any questions as she shifted out of park and headed out of the property. Pacifica’s hands were in her lap, uncomfortably stiff. She didn’t want to fidget.

 

“So we’re going to go to Greasy’s. It’s not really much of a weekday breakfast place and it’s already 10 so it shouldn’t be too busy. Your highness might be able to avoid getting asked a million times for autographs.”

Wendy’s tone was actually friendly. Pacifica wasn’t sure how to react, still feeling tense.

“...That would be good.”

Wendy side eyed her for a moment, looking her up and down at their pause at a stoplight.

“You do still eat, right? You’re looking a little skinny. Not trying to subsist on, like, morning dew and the energy of the universe right?”

Pacifica snorted.

“I was actually trying to go vegan. Y’know, get the psychic powers and all. Giffany was trying to get me to go to the psychic academy grad school with her but, fuck it.”

Wendy cringed.

“Urgh, Giffany. You’re not-”

“Not anymore.” Pacifica said softly. 

Wendy’s expression twisted a little bit. She’d seen Pacifica check her bag and the rear view mirrors quite a few times. It was starting to make sense why. Wendy almost subconsciously drove a little faster, and kept an eye on the back mirror. 

 

They pulled in and Wendy parked in the corner of the lot. She hopped out and went around to offer Pacifica a needed hand as she tried to balance on her platform boots. Wendy gave Pacifica a long look, then hopped back up on to the step and grabbed a jacket. She tossed it at Pacifica before taking the fur cap off her own head and putting it over the blonde’s. 

 

Pacifica started a protest and Wendy waved an arm. 

“You don't need any attention man. I know you sneaking out of the apartment wouldn't have worked but since you're out you can pass for normal so long as you keep your boots under the table.” 

They went in, Wendy picking a corner booth and settling herself in. They took menus and got water, and Wendy idly looked hers over.

 

Pacifica forced herself to relax, Wendy's jacket warm around her shoulders, and tucked her ankles back. 

 

“So, what did you wanna tell me, Paz?”

Pacifica looked up at Wendy, almost startled by the old nickname. Wendy was studying the menu with disingenuous fascination. 

 

Pacifica bit her lip. 

 

“Well...”

She started talking, and found it was easier then she'd been expecting. She told her about Giffany, about what Gideon had told them after Mabel left him, about the emails and the photos and finally the truth she'd seen in Mabel’s memories. She stopped short of mentioning that Bill had kind of killed her. He was an ally at this point, better to not get on his bad side again. By the time she finished Wendy had lowered the menu and was biting her lip, deep in thought. 

She sighed. 

“That's a lot to take in. But...” Wendy scowled for a moment, expression more intense than Pacifica had seen it. 

“You'd better not be lying about being on our side of this now.”

Pacifica almost smiled. Her hand instinctively went to her chest, where the pendant had hung in her dream. 

 

It was there, warm metal under her hand. She looked down, startled, and Wendy whistled. It was glowing, faintly.

 

“Well, guess that's an answer.”

Pacifica looked up at Wendy, closing her hand around the oddly comforting weight of the pendant. 

“I'm not going to let anyone hurt Mabel.”

Wendy smiled, shifting back into her usual ease. 

“That's what I like to hear. Now what do you say to the two of us planning some payback?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> girl bonding hell yeah!


	16. Calm Before The Storm

 

“So,” Pacifica settled back into Wendy’s couch, her arm almost shoulder deep in her purse, “I guess I have to go solo after this is over.”

 

Wendy laughed, not looking up from her phone. She was coordinating with Dipper and Tad, who were at home;  Bill and Mabel, who were....somewhere else; and Lee and Nate, who were already well into their pregame to watch the Dreamscapers concert. 

 

“You could always come back and play with us. I’m not gonna say Dipper  _ sucks _ at singing but, I have to at least admit that it’s clearly not his favorite thing.”

Pacifica snorted.

“Who knows, maybe Giffany will murder me.”

Wendy looked up, smiling.

“Nah, if you’re gonna die you’ll either go out like a rock star or like a rich heiress. Either Crack or Coke.”

“I’ll drown in a bathtub full of Patron.” Pacifica deadpanned.

Wendy actually laughed out loud at that.

“I don’t even wanna think about how much it would cost to fill a bathtub with that stuff.”

“Mm. Would have to be Patron platinum too. That’s like...450 a bottle? So-...” Pacifica thought out loud as she finally felt metal in her palm. Finally. 

“Don’t think too much more about that, man.” Wendy checked the time on her phone and stuck it in her back pocket.

 

“You almost ready?”

“Nearly.”

Pacifica swung her arm to toss the bag away from her instead of trying to pull. It came free, revealing a long silver rapier. She took a look down the blade and held it out to feel the balance, then set it down next to her, hopping up.

 

“Could you-?”

Wendy turned to the closet and pulled out an empty guitar case.

“This work?”

“Perfectly. Think I should get a spare in case...”

“Dipper’s trying out those rollerblades. I don’t think giving him a sharp object is a good idea.”

Pacifica snorted, feeling herself relax despite what she was headed into as she took the case out of the red-head’s hand. It felt good to have her friends back.

 

She picked the bag up off the floor and smoothed out her dress- a skimpy ripped up number that matched the black leather duster she had over it. She smoothed her hair back past the gold earrings and pulled it up into a bun, securing it with a few more gold clips. She touched Bill’s pendant to make sure it was there, and pulled on her gloves.

 

“Let's go.”

 

___

 

They walked- meeting Bill and Mabel a few blocks from Wendy’s apartment. They stood in a loose huddle in the cold, the quiet a little awkward. Pacifica wasn’t ready to tell Mabel everything just yet, but the weight of all she wanted to say had settled on her shoulders. 

 

Wendy clapped her on the shoulder.

 

“Alright. War plan. Lee and Nate are already there, utterly wasted. If things go south then we just use them as an excuse to leave, and at worst they’re adults and can get their own dumb asses home. Hopefully it won’t come down to a fight. We watch the performance, we accept that invite to play a show that’s definitely a trap, we go home.”

 

Bill snorted.

“Red, there’s a save point established next to the stage. Gideon is expecting someone to not come out of this alive.”

Wendy looked at Bill blankly for a minute, then just decided to take that at face value.

“Well I’m ready for a fight.” She held up a drumstick and clicked a button on the end of it. A spike popped out. 

“Weapon of last resort.”

Bill tapped the end of his cane thoughtfully.

“Will Pine Tree and his roommate be joining us here or at the show?”

“The show” Pacifica answered, “I don’t want to announce that I’m defecting just yet, and walking in with Dipper wouldn’t be good.”

 

Bill waved an arm, and a large guitar case appeared in the air in front of Wendy. He put his hand back on his cane.

  
“Take that to Pine Tree, would you?”

Mabel elbowed him.

“OOooh getting my brother giffttss?”

Bill raised an eyebrow at her.

“Yes?”

Mabel just waggled her eyebrows and grinned. 

Wendy grabbed the case from where it was levitating a foot and a half off of the ground and tossed it over her shoulder. 

“Alright. We ready?”

Everyone nodded. Bill just smiled.

“Bill, Mabel, are you guys coming back with me to get Dipper?”

Mabel gave Wendy a thumbs up, then turned to hug Pacifica.

 

“Don’t get hurt before we get there okay?”

Pacifica was lost for words for a moment, focusing on the soft press of Mabel’s sweater and the smell of frosting in her hair, but she forced a sarcastic snort as she wrapped her arms around the other girl. 

“So it's okay if I get hurt after you get there?”

Mabel made a cheerful humming noise.

“If anyone hurts you after I get there I can MURDER EM.”

Pacifica almost laughed, then remembered the chain marks on Gideon’s neck. That probably wasn’t a joke.

“Thanks Mabes.”

“Always and Always, Paz.” Mabel gave her one more squeeze and stepped away. She smiled, a little more shakily this time.

“Don’t die.”

“Not without you.” Pacifica gave her a thumbs up, suppressing a cringe. That sounded  _ terrible.  _ But Mabel laughed as she climbed on her bike, and Wendy gave her another wave before they took off after Bill.

  
She was alone on the sidewalk, and she took a deep breath. She looked up at the sky, which was still threatening rain. She let her feet go before her fear could catch up, heading for the club.

 

She was a Northwest. She wasn’t going to show them that she was scared.


	17. The Bad Old Days

Pacifica showed up just in time to go into hair and makeup, with not enough time for Giffany to try to get affectionate. Though, strangely enough, her guitarist didn’t seem to be anywhere to be found. Actually, Rumble was gone too... Pacifica grimaced, hoping they weren’t going to bail on her, and fixed her makeup. They were big enough to have people to set up the stage, so she didn’t have to break a nail hauling her stuff out. She put the guitar case in the back room where Giffany had told her she wanted to have the “meeting” with Mabel and Dipper. Thankfully, when it was time to go onstage Giffany and Rumble had reappeared and taken their positions. Pacifica shot a side glance at Giffany. She looked...disheveled? Almost... 

 

The crowd hushed and she jumped that train of thought, looking into the crowd. She spotted Mabel almost immediately, wearing a bright yellow sweater with a black triangle on it. She winked.

Pacifica forced herself to look away, launching into the introduction to avoid yelling.

 

“-And this one goes out to old and new friends! 1- 2- 3-”

 

Pacifica was absolutely certain Giffany was going to kill her just for that dedication, but at least she was professional enough to let them finish the show. Pacifica let herself get swept away in the sound, letting the music carry her back to happier days, before Gideon had taken Mabel. But it was over too soon, and before long they’d done their goodbyes and Giffany had a vice grip on her arm, pulling her into the back room. 

Giffany rounded on her, and Pacifica was expecting the red tint her eyes got when she was feeling homicidal. Giffany smiled.   
“Good thinking hon! Catch them off guard! That little ho will never know what hit her.”

Pacifica cringed. Something must have shown in her face because Giffany’s expression changed to mock surprise, a few extra sparkles in her eyes.

“Oh I’m sorry! Foul language. I know you hate that. What do you wanna do while we wait for the crowd to let out a bit?” She made an expression with a few implications. Pacifica’s stomach flipped unpleasantly.

“Let’s just... put the drinks out.”

 

___

 

The club had mostly cleared as close came and went, leaving them and the staff. Dipper was sitting next to Mabel, holding her hand in a vice grip. She was leaning into his shoulder, knowing he didn’t want her saying out loud that she knew how scared he was. She just squeezed his hand back, listening to Wendy tell a story about one of Giffany’s on stage freakouts back at college. She’d thrown her guitar at someone who’d yelled something at Pacifica. He’d been at the hospital for a month recovering. 

 

“You know what’s interesting?” Bill cut in, voice a little too excited for anything he was about to say to be good.

“What?” Mabel asked, grateful for the subject change.

“Goblin sharks.”

They all started at him. 

“Their lineage goes back about 125 million years. And they can sense electric fields! It’s amazing, you meatsacks make the...whattya call em, Star?”

“Movies.” She supplied, smiling.

“YEah. Movies. About sharks, who are really just lookin’ to be left alone, and you ignore the fact that there are nightmare creatures at the bottoms of your oceans!”

“Those shark movies are pretty stupid.” Wendy tapped her chin with a finger, thinking about it. 

“I saw a shark when I was surfing once, under the wave. Thing just left me alone.”

Dipper made a stranged noise, and Tad looked over at his phone.

“Oh, golly. I must agree with Bill, that’s going to give me unpleasant dreams.” 

There was a welcome moment of reprieve when they all just looked over Dipper’s shoulder at photos of the sharks. Mabel shot Bill a grateful look as Dipper’s grip on her hand loosened.

  
Bill just smiled. 

 

They wasted a little more time before Wendy looked up towards the stage and spotted it. 

 

“Uh, guys?”

Dipper looked up, following her gaze. There was a glowing patch of floor nearer to the stage. 

“Is that...?” 

He answered his own question, taking off towards it, Wendy right behind him. Mabel shot Bill a questioning glance.

 

He nodded, and she followed after them. 

 

Mabel hadn't quite made it before a sickeningly sweet voice stopped her in her tracks. 

“I see you're all here. Ready to have that talk?”

The light started to flicker, Wendy and Dipper diving into it just as it went out. 

There was the flash of words above it.

_ Save Complete. _

 

Mabel wasn't sure if she was relieved or terrified as she turned back towards the voice. 

 

Giffany was in her usual schoolgirl outfit. She looked more human then the last time Mabel had seen her, but she'd been expecting that. Gideon was too prideful to let one of his... “creations” walk around with sharp pixels in two dimensions. 

 

“Eeeey Gif. Been a while! How've you been? You look good! Still got those pigtails!” Mabel grinned earnestly. Giffany grimaced, but recovered into a vaguely homicidal smile quickly.

“Oh I've been just lovely! My dearest Pacifica takes good care of me! Unlike you.”

 

Mabel’s eyelid twitched. That was...new information. 

Out of the corner of her eye she could see the vaguely nauseated look on Dipper’s face. Tad had a similar expression... but Wendy had the same look of apathy as Bill. 

 

Mabel forced a bigger and brighter smile as she refocused on the smirking maniac in front of her. 

 

“Aww. Glad you have someone taking care of you! But I thought that you and Rumble-”

A look of intense panic came across Giffany’s features, her eyes going blood red before she could force a neutral expression and cut in-

“Nope! Just shared a machine, haha, that's all! You should stop lying. Well, doesn't matter! You'll all be dead soon. But come on back!” 

 

Giffany turned on her heel and headed back to the stage. Mabel turned back to Wendy and raised a questioning eyebrow. Wendy mouthed ‘later’ and put her arm around Mabel’s shoulders, steering her towards the room as she took a glance around.

 

Lee and Nate were gone, Wendy noted. She could only hope they'd made it home okay. 

 

No such luck. 

 

“Heeeyy Wen-dy! Captain funtimes! Lady dipper!” 

Nate lifted a glass to them as the came in, Wendy resolutely sitting next to him. Lee appeared to be asleep on the floor. 

Nate patted her shoulder drunkenly, then lifted his glass again. 

“Cool looking dude I don't know! and Dr Strraaaanngggee.” 

Tad winced visibly, taking the end of the couch as far from Nate as he could manage and looking down at Lee disapprovingly. 

Bill just looked amused, but Mabel thought it was probably just his resting expression. 

 

Pacifica was across from them, clutching a wine cooler. Her knuckles were white.

She gave some approximation of a smile as Giffany sat next to her, Rumble on her other side. The shirtless fighter’s knee was bouncing as though he couldn't control it. He glared daggers at Dipper, who dutifully ignored him and looked at wine coolers and soda on the table instead. 

 

Mabel picked one up, noted that the seal was broken, and put it down again. Living with Bill had taught her some hard lessons. 

 

“So.” Dipper settled back into the couch. To Mabel relief, he didn't take a drink.

“What are we here for?”

Giffany’s eyes widened in a look of mock innocence. 

“Why can't we take some time to catch up?”

Wendy snorted.

“Oh yeah, let's break out the photo albums and talk about our fond memories of all the times you tried to kill us.”

Giffany giggled. 

“They're fond memories to me.”

“Why can't we just get along, Gif? Why do you still want to hurt me?” Mabel looked up at Giffany, her expression pleading. She hated all this fighting. 

Giffany leaned forward conspiratorially, putting her chin in her hands.

“Oh it’s pretty simple really. You’re coming between us.”

“Wh-”

Mabel stopped herself, looking at Pacifica.

 

Pacifica was no longer conscious. 

 

She had slumped sideways in a way that originally looked like boredom, but now her eyes were closed and the bottle in her hand was spilling into her lap. She almost looked peaceful, but the red spill spreading from the bottle would have woken her if-

_ The bottle. _

 

Mabel could see Wendy quietly put the bottle she’d picked up down, and internally thanked Bill for training her better than to drink anything that wasn’t sealed. 

 

Dipper started to stand, but Bill’s hand found his shoulder and pushed him down. Dipper was surprised when he turned to find that Bill’s eyes were glowing blood red, and his gaze was set on Giffany. Dipper bit hit lip, but relaxed. If they had a plan then..

But it was hard to see his sister looking like that, so much fear readily visible in her face. 

 

Bill hadn’t bothered to restrain Wendy, whether deliberately or not. 

 

“You piece of shit!” Wendy was out of her seat and across the table, with her fist around Giffany’s collar. 

“You-” 

“Rumble.”

Wendy was standing there one minute, and then the hulking wrestler was off the couch and Wendy was heaved upwards, Rumble’s hand around her neck as she kicked him. Dipper was on his feet then, Bill not able to stop him.

“Put her down!”

 

Rumble opened his mouth to make some kind of reply, and then let out a throaty scream as Wendy jabbed a knife into one of his meaty fingers. He dropped her and she landed on her feet, blades up and ready to lunge.

 

Giffany stood.

 

“There’s no settling this now. Rumble and I need to rest. See you at Honest Abe’s tomorrow.”

She got up, Wendy getting on the couch to check Pacifica’s vitals as Rumble jumped the table to follow Giffany out the door.

 

Giffany smirked over her shoulder.

 

“Once you’re dead I’ll let her out again. Until then you guys can have her.”

 

And then she was gone, and Pacifica still seemed asleep- the only sound left was the dripping of the wine from the edge of her soaked skirt to the floor.

 

“Well.”

Bill rolled his shoulders and neck, letting out about 20 different popping noises.

“That went just about as badly as it could have gone. Go team.”

 


	18. Rain

It was thundering outside. They were all in Wendy’s living room, waiting for her to get back from dropping Nate and Lee off at home. Mabel was sitting on the couch, holding Pacifica’s head in her lap. There were trails down her cheeks- tears she’d already shed, but her expression was hard.

  
“Bill, we need to get her out.”

“I agree Star. But it can’t be you.”   
“I have to get her out-”

“Star.” Bill’s eye turned red, but he was keeping his tone steady.

“If you want to play perfectly into Gideon’s hands and reverse everything I’ve done to keep you safe, and go back on our arrangement, then you are more than welcome. But I will not be able to protect you.”

 

“-Bill, could I go?”

Mabel looked at Dipper, a little shocked.

“Brobro-”

Dipper bit his lip, and sighed.

“Mabel, I’m no match against Rumble. But- this is Pacifica lost in her head, right?”

“...That’s the principle of it, yes.” Bill was looking at Dipper almost tenderly.

“I know Pacifica. We dated for years. If anyone can find her-”

“I could-”

“Mabel, I trust you to take on Giffany. Can you trust me to find Paz?”

 

Mabel’s mouth pulled into a line.   
“I can’t lose you too-”

“You won’t.” Dipper got up, going to Mabel and wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

 

“He’s right.”

Bill stood, cracking his knuckles.   
“I can’t protect you in there, Star, but I can protect Pine Tree. And I think you and Red are more than combat ready.”

 

Tad sighed from his post on the other side of the room.

  
“I wish I could be of more help.”

Bill smiled one of his unsettling smiles.

“Actually. I think you can be.”

 

____

 

Tad found himself following Dipper and Bill through a set of corridors that he vaguely recognized as a disassembled and crudely reconstructed version of the Gravity Falls high school. He rubbed his hands together nervously. It felt..odd. The air around him felt aware of his presence. It wasn’t an unfriendly feeling, but even being in a crowd of friends with all of them staring at you was bound to be a little...weird.

 

He was relieved when Bill finally made an affirmative noise and turned down a hallway that seemed to lead to the back exit he and Dipper had camped out at with piles of chocolate bars and soda...actually, even in this bizarre landscape there were a few hershey's wrappers and empty bottles. Dipper smiled at him over his shoulder, and Tad returned the favor. That felt like a good omen. 

 

Bill pushed open the door, but the landscape beyond the doorway was completely obscured by a dense blanket of rainfall. In the distance Tad could make out the frame of a huge stone building. 

 

“Off you go!”

Tad blinked at Bill.

“I don’t suppose you have an umbrella.”

“It’ll look better if you’re bedraggled and hopeless!”

“BILL.” Dipper’s eyebrows pulled together. Bill just grinned wider.

“Just trust me!”

 

Tad sighed and adjusted the collar of his jacket.

 

“So I’m going to the imposing building. And what am I saying?”

“That one Giffany McSkirmish has been knowingly ingesting meat and dairy products including but not limited to Lattes, Chicken Parmesan, and gelato.”

“Okay.”

Tad took a step forward before it registered. He looked at Dipper, whose expression had changed too. They both looked at Bill. Dipper’s voice began to rise in pitch-

“Giffany MCSKIRMISH?” Did you jUST say GIFFANY  _ MCSKIRMISH _ ?”

Bill smiled, his teeth glittering.

“Yes.” 

“As in Rumble Mcskirmish??”

“Of course. Vegas wedding, but still official. And still well consummated.” Bill snickered. 

“Giffany was cheating on North?” Asked Tad, raising his eyebrows.

“That is what I said, isn’t it? Cheating? As in sleeping with another person in the confines of a closed monogamous relationship?” Bill looked genuinely confused. 

“Yes. When something is unbelievable humans tend to ask clarification questions to ensure they have the information correctly.” Tad patted Bill on the shoulder and headed out into the rain.

 

Bill watched him go with a thoughtful expression and then looked back at Dipper.

“I like him. He gets me.”

Dipper felt himself smiling without really knowing why. Bill had very visible fangs when he smiled this wide, but for some reason the look was starting to get closer to “goofy and endearing” then it was to “animal baring its teeth”. 

 

Bill held out a hand, and Dipper took it as they turned back into the maze.

“So how are we getting into Pacifica’s mind from here? Don’t we need to do the spell with the candles to enter her mind?”

Bill snorted.

“With how rustled up the mindscape’s been lately? No, Pine tree. We just find a shared point.”

Dipper grimaced.

“I’m not sure I want to see any of those.”

“I don’t either! Hey let's go back to that breakup memory! That one was fun.”

Bill shot off down the hall, Dipper dragged along behind him.   
“...huh?”

 

____

 

Tad was feeling pretty bedraggled and hopeless by the time he finally got to the giant gates of the building. It had been quite a distance from where Bill had opened the door, and he was covered in mud to his knees. He’d been thinking of all manner of swear words to call Bill when he got back, and vowing never to explain anything to him ever again, but then the gates started opening and he caught sight of the man coming out to greet him with an umbrella and a concerned expression.

 

He took it all back. He was going to build Bill a shrine. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bill plays wingman and we have our ex-machina established (assuming Wendy and Mabel even need any help) ((they probably won't))


	19. Frail and Bedazzled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry guys, short chapter to get things rolling before the fun starts since it's been so long. More soon!

****Bill had no trouble finding the memory, Dipper trailing much more uncertainly behind him. The dream demons seemed...disproportionately excited. That probably didn’t mean anything good.

 

The memory played out the same, Dipper trying hard not to pay too much attention to it, but as Pacifica was breaking down Bill waved a hand- pausing the scene- and pulled Dipper across the room and out the door that would have led to the deck of the sorority house.

 

The doorknob shone a tidal blue in Bill’s hand, and as they opened the door a grand mansion hallway fell into place in front of them- all vaulted ceilings and grand silvery carpets. Paintings lined the walls between the doors, showing scenes of Pacifica’s life- balls, sports game, the forests they’d explored together- and a few of giffany sitting on park benches and looking out windows. The paintings all seemed to be of scenes of happiness and calm- but the doors shook on their hinges, bending and creaking and making low thudding noises.

 

“Bingo!”

  
Bill clapped his hands together and started off down the hall.

“This is going to be terrible!’

“What?”

Dipper actually stopped at that, pulling Bill to a halt by his wrist.

“What do you mean..?”

“Pine tree, if you were trying to lock someone up in their own memories, would you put them in one of the nice ones?”

Dipper grimaced, eyeing one of the shaking doors.

“So how are we going to find her?”

Bill gave Dipper a smile that could only mean trouble.

  
“We’re going to get a little help!”

 

___

 

Mabel carried Pacifica to Wendy’s car, holding her in her lap as they drove towards Honest Abe’s.

“Are you sure it was a good idea to bring her along?” Wendy asked, side eyeing the blonde as she drove. Mabel gave her a helpless look.

“It’s what Bill told us. I have to trust him.”

Wendy grimaced.  
“How’d you end up with him, anyway?”

Mabel managed a smile.

 

“Wandering his territory. He’s usually a little less tolerant of that but we had a mutual goal, so we made an arrangement.”

“What kind of arrangement?”

“I provided him access to the physical world through my mindscape and he stopped Gideon from finding me. Simple, really. I have the power to shut him out if I need to but he’s also got the power to strap a flare to my brain and let it run wild so...we’re even.”

Wendy cringed.

“Would he do that?”

Mabel grinned.

“If I didn’t hold up my end? Absolutely!”

 

Wendy didn’t have anything else to say about that, but they made it to honest abe’s quickly. Giffany and Rumble were standing outside, waiting for them. Mabel left Pacifica in the car, put a blanket over her shoulders, and got out. They stood in front of the huge building, arranged like a texas standoff.

  
Giffany grinned.

  
“Let's get this party started.”


	20. It's only Divine Right

Dipper sprinted full tilt down the hallway, Bill’s laughter echoing in space as he held on to Dipper’s wrist, directing him through the maze of passages. 

 

“That’s our GUIDE, BILL?”

“One vengeful lumberjack spirit, coming right up!”

“How is he SHOWING US ANYWHERE?”

Bill grinned, eye blazing. 

“Trust me!”

“WHY the HELL would I do that?”

Bill didn’t bother answering, grabbing a mirror off the wall and spinning with it, holding it up behind him.

“Looking LOVELY today, Archie! Take a peek!”

The Ghost roared, but as Dipper turned, still keeping back, his spirit was pulled into the mirror, trying to plant his axe in the ground and ripping up the carpet as he went. Bill propped the mirror against the wall, whistling cheerfully as he did and crouching in front of it. 

“Hello~!”

The ghost growled.

“What do you want, demon?”

Dipper tentatively stepped within view of the frame, and the ghost looked up at him, recognition crossing his features.

“Ah, Pines. My apologies. I assumed you were trespassers.”

“OOh, you know this washed up sucker?” Bill asked, earning a glare from the ghost. Bill grinned. “It’s funny because he died in a flood. His body washed up. Hehe.”

The Lumberjack was looking downright murderous again, and Dipper shouldered Bill aside, kneeling next to him.

“Sorry- Archibald, right?”

The ghost nodded, and looking at him more closely Dipper could see that he looked much more like the picture on Wendy’s wall now then the angry spirit of the Northwest Manor- his beard was still blue, but tidy, and he wore a wide brimmed hat over where Dipper had last seen the axe wound. 

“Right, We’re trying to help Pacifica. She’s been trapped in here, and we don’t know how to find her.” 

“You are assisting this- creature? I do not trust him, Pines. He is a creature of chaos.”

“Hey! Blondie bears my symbol.”

Archibald regarded Bill at that, studying him with a scowl.

“Wearing the eye of providence didn’t seem to protect her from harm, Cipher.”

Bill scoffed.

“What do you take me for? She took the sleeping draught of her own accord. You know I couldn’t protect her from that any more then you could have taken over Preston’s body and made him pull that lever.”

 

Dipper looked between them, brow furrowing.

“How-”

“Eye of providence, kid. Preston’s got a painting of me in the house. But let's stay on topic.” 

 

Archibald nodded slowly.

 

Dipper was still trying to figure out what was going on, but nodded, knowing he wasn’t going to get the answers. 

 

The glow from the mirror brightened, Archibald pressing a palm to the glass. 

“She is locked behind the door to the west wing- in her memories of the girl. I fear that you will not like what you find there.”

 

Bill stood, rolling his shoulders, and grimaced.

“The shrieking digital harpie’s found some help with this. We’re gonna find more then her. You got that gift on you, Pine Tree?”

  
Dipper pulled the strap of his guitar case off his shoulder, hoisting it. 

“Don’t know how this’ll help-”

“Open it, kid.”

 

Dipper unzipped the case. His breath caught in his throat as he lifted the base from the fabric.

  
It was a deep purple axe, strung like a base with golden strings. He strummed it, experimentally, and the notes that came out of it seemed to have a physical weight behind them, shaking the mirror Archibald was gazing out of. 

 

Dipper grinned.   
  
“Lets rock and roll.”


	21. Hate Her

**Hate Her**

 

Mabel and Wendy stood on the sidewalk, surveying the wreckage that had once been Honest Abe’s. Tears were streaming down Mabel’s face, her eyes a little bloodshot behind goggles. Rumble was in the wreckage, smashing another piece of wall and screaming.

  
“FATHER! I HAVE FAILED YOU! FAAATTHHHEERR!”

 

Wendy rubbed her eyes, sighing.

 

“Did everyone get out?”

Mabel nodded, not entirely trusting her voice.

 

Giffany had her hands in the air, yelling at Rumble from the other side of the building.

“It’s a DEPARTMENT STORE, RUMBLE! A DEPARTMENT STORE!”

 

Wendy sighed, thrusting her hands into her pockets.

“I’ve never actually been in that store. Why’s it so bad?”

Mabel turned, tears still streaming down her face. Her voice was hoarse.   
“You know how when a child is born, it just screams at the sheer horror of being alive?”

Wendy cringed.

“Alright, new plan. OY. What now, Pinky?”

Mabel snorted as Giffany rounded on them, eyes blood red.

“WORKING ON IT.”

 

They stood in silence for a minute, watching as Giffany tried and failed to calm down Rumble- the struggle ending with Giffany grabbing a piece of wall and slamming into the back of his head.   
She stood over his unconscious form, panting, then looked back at them- eyes still red.

 

“Lee’s Palace. 8pm, Tonight.”

 

She threw Rumble over her shoulder in a ridiculous semblance of a fireman carry and was gone into the gray afternoon. Wendy and Mabel watched her go, then looked at each other, Mabel’s eyes still watering.

 

“You gonna need an eye doctor?”

“I’ll be alright in an hour. God, I hate her.”

Wendy laughed.   
“Join the club man. Come on, let's go get ready.”

 

___

 

Bill watched as the memory form of Giffany threw Dipper right back through the door he came through and across the hallway-smashing into the next room to the sound of shrieks from the occupants of that memory. He grinned.

 

“My turn!”

 

Dipper grumbled under his breath as he pulled the bass off his back and stepped back into the hall, making an exaggerated “After you” gesture.

“Aww, how chivalrous.” Bill headed into the memory, Dipper close behind. Bill immediately had to throw up a wall of fire as an uprooted tree came hurtling towards them.

“God,” Dipper muttered “I fucking hate her.”


	22. Axe you a question

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y'all! been a weird couple of weeks, but i'm getting back into the swing of it *wink* enjoy the chapter

Giffany almost seemed happy to see them as they headed into the bar, dressed in a black leather number with a drink in her hand.

 

“Where are all of your friends?”

Mabel faked a wide smile.

“Shocker, didn’t want to have to deal with you.”

She was satisfied to see the deep red color bloom across giffany’s irises, even as the other woman kept smiling. 

“Well, how do you want to settle this then? I thought your brother was supposed to be the one who protects y-” 

 

She had to take a step back as Mabel lunged, bringing a two handed axe down and passing it through the space giffany had been occupying seconds before.

 

“He might protect me-” Mabel heaved the weapon back up, readying it-

“But I’m just going to go ahead and kill you.”

 

A wave of force hit Mabel square in the gut- sending her back as she attempted her second swing. Rumble stepped forward, cracking his knuckles.

 

“YOU ARE PUNY, AND HIDE BEHIND YOUR WEAPON.”

“I don’t!” Wendy lunged, ducking under rumble’s arms and bowling him over. The bar was starting to dissolve into chaos, people yelling and backing up. Rumble’s next psychic attack hit Wendy, hitting her like a punch to the head and sending her flying back to hit the floor next to mabel- and the wall where they’d propped pacifica on a couch against the wall. Mabel scrambled up, committed to keeping herself between Giffany and Pacifica.

  
Wendy moaned, rubbing her head.

  
“Whatever Tad and Dipper are doing, I hope they do it fast.”

___

 

“Kid, you’re cute when you struggle, but this is getting a bit pointless.”

 

Dipper shot Bill a glare, squinting his left eye as he bled into it from a cut above his eyebrow.

“I’m open to suggestions!”

The Pacifica of the dreamscape was pressed up against the wall of a room in the northwest manor, somehow 14 and trapped in a silver cage.

Bill stopped moving, thinking for a moment. He caught the object the dream giffany flung at him easily- even as it hurtled with magical force- and looked at it. A silver bell.

 

He rang it.

 

The Pacifica in the cage cowered, covering her ears. He rang it harder. The walls of the dreamscape shifted as pacifica stared at him, wild eyed and scared. He grinned. It wasn’t a particularly pleasant expression.

 

“Bill-”

“Sssh. Trust me.” He lifted an arm and shook the bell as hard as he could, continuously, and the dream began to shift- Pacifica’s panic and terror disrupting the illusion’s giffany had built around her. The dream giffany finally caught on- lunging towards Bill- but Dipper had expected that, and was ready between them with the axe-bass. Bill grabbed on to the back of Dipper’s shirt as he rang the bell- parts of the illusions fading and changing into swirls of color.

 

“Get ready kid!”

Then they began to fall. 


	23. Weakness

Things didn’t slow down as Bill and Dipper tumbled out of a portal in the corner- no one initially even noticing them. Wendy was on rumble’s back, having found a place he couldn’t aim the psychic attacks- punching blindly at his face as he tried to shake her off. Mabel and Giffany were dodging around each other- trying to outstep the other as giffany dodged Mabel’s axe swings. She was armed with a warhammer, but Mabel was in too close for her to use it. 

 

Dipper’s throat betrayed him as one of Giffany’s blows got a little too close to Mabel- as she turned and her eyes locked on his Giffany finally had her opening.

 

She caught Mabel in the stomach, bringing her to the ground hard. Dipper moved- but Pacifica was faster. She launched herself out of the corner, diving as Giffany raised her weapon- and pushed two fingers into the back of Giffany’s knee. 

Her legs almost seemed to turn to jelly, giving out as Dipper reached Mabel, pulling her closer to him.

Anxiously, he looked her over, relief washing over him as she opened her eyes and gave him a weak smile. Pacifica dropped down next to them, pressing her hand to Mabel’s cheek.

“Mabel I’m so sorry-”

“Ssssh. Paz, you’re the one who saved me. How’d you do that?”

“Well you know about erogenous zones-”

“Alright, nevermind.” Dipper cut in, flushing a bit. We’d better get up before-”

 

Giffany was moving again, pulling herself back as both Pacifica and Dipper went for their weapons. She didn’t attack, only glared as she pushed herself backwards- towards rumble.

“You’re gonna pay for that. RUMBLE!”

Rumble turned back towards them, his eyes glowing red.

 

“Oh, fuck.” Dipper ducked to try to shield himself from the beam of force- but another figure stopped it, stepping between them.

 

Bill grinned. 

“Did you miss me? Admit it, you missed me.”


End file.
